Circle Up

Filmmaker Julie Mallozzi’s documentary centers on Janet Connors, a Dorchester, MA, mother whose young adult son Joel was murdered. Four men were arrested and tried; three were convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison, while the fourth—who may have been the one responsible for physically taking Joel’s life—went free when the jury found him not guilty based on reasonable doubt. Connors dealt with her grief and anger through reaching out to others who lost loved ones in violent deaths. Circle Up follows her as she participates in counseling groups and delivers lectures in high schools on coping with the murder of a family member. Connors attempted to contact and form a connection with one of the three men sent to prison for Joel’s death, but their bond of communication seems uneasy, and the ex-convict (who does not allow himself to be shown on camera) appears uncomfortable with Connors’s outreach. Connors’s desire to help others who have similarly suffered is cathartic and altruistic, and this film does a fine job of detailing her crusade to bring understanding and hope to those facing the cruelest imaginable loss. Extras include a short film about Connors. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)