The Circle

Switzerland was one of the few places where homosexuality was legal in the late 1950s and Stefan Haupt's docudrama impeccably and meticulously recreates the scene centred on a nightclub/advice bureau/publication called The Circle that was founded by actor Karl Meier in 1942. However, the primary focus is on the romance between teacher Ernst Ostertag (Matthias Hungerbühler) and 18-year-old drag artiste, Röbi Rapp (Sven Schelker). Rapp is out to his mother Erika (Marianne Sägebrecht), while his older lover remains very much in the closet. Yet, when the authorities attempt to regulate the gay community following a spate of murders, it's Ostertag who becomes politicised and leads the protest against the clampdown. By incorporating interview footage of the elderly real-life Ostertag and Rapp, Haupt not only gives away the ending of his story, but also frequently interrupts it for reminiscences that are rarely revelatory. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing insight into a little-known aspect of LGBT history.