The Circle poster

The Circle (2017)

Film · 1h 50m · Rated PG-13

Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A tech worker's rapid rise within a powerful corporation blurs the lines of privacy, surveillance, and freedom.

Suspenseful and intimate. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 26, 2026.

The Circle parents guide

No sex or nudity and mild language, about what a PG-13 should carry.

Rated PG-13, but by what is on screen our estimate is fine from about 7.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
No gore
Violence
Some violence
Some fighting or peril.
Sex and nudity
None noted
Language
Mild
Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Circle scary?
No. The Circle is not a scary watch.
How gory is The Circle?
No gore and some violence. Squeamish viewers are fine here.
What is The Circle rated, and is it OK for kids?
A gentle PG-13: no sex or nudity and mild language.

What is The Circle about?

A young tech worker takes a job at a powerful Internet corporation, quickly rises up the company's ranks, and soon finds herself in a perilous situation concerning privacy, surveillance and freedom. She comes to learn that her decisions and actions will determine the future of humanity.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

It leaves the ending open to interpretation.

Cast and crew

Directed byJames Ponsoldt
StarringEmma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Ellar Coltrane, Patton Oswalt

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.