The story of Ernst Ostertag and Robi Rapp—the first same-sex couple to marry in Switzerland—is a remarkable one. The pair met in 1958 at a ball sponsored by The Circle, a gay organization founded in 1942 by actor Karl Meier that provided supportive camaraderie and also published a magazine for its members. Ostertag, a closeted instructor at a girls' school working toward his professional certification, was instantly entranced by Rapp, a free-spirited young man performing as a drag entertainer at the ball. They quickly fell in love, and although their relationship was threatened by a series of murders in the Zurich gay community (which would lead the police to put pressure on Meier to share his membership list and eventually contributed to The Circle's closure), they have remained together up to the present. Filmmaker Stefan Haupt's The Circle is a hybrid documentary/drama that combines extended dramatic re-enactments (featuring Matthias Hungerbuhler as Ostertag and Sven Schelker as Rapp), archival footage and stills, and interviews (with the real octogenarian Ostertag and Rapp, among others). An illuminating, often moving film centering on a little-known chapter in gay history, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)
The Circle
Wolfe, 102 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95, Mar. 31 Volume 30, Issue 3
The Circle
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