‘Full Circle’ MAX Series Review - The Style is in Sync With the Substance

The greatest pleasure in Steven Soderbergh's Full Circle comes from shot compositions. The scenes are shot in such a manner that the characters on either the left or the right side of the frame appear big compared to everyone else. The closer they are to the camera, the more they jut out like a long, thin finger. They also look heavy and give the impression that they would just tilt the screen toward their side. As a result, the frames look unstable and threaten to careen out of control. Moreover, it seems as if the characters would slide out of the shot during Dutch angles. Every scene in Full Circle is volatile. Some of the segues here are so sharp, sudden, and rough that they seem to bruise your senses.

The style is perfectly in sync with the substance. There is so much chaos in Full Circle. The kidnappers kidnap the wrong victim, there are rocky relationships, and things don't always go as planned. The characters in Full Circle have limited knowledge. The dramatis personae of a clever heist film often come up with the perfect, foolproof arrangement. But the ones in the Full Circle don't know everything about the people around them. All they can do is cook up a ploy and hope the events turn out as per their expectations. Spoiler alert: Their schemes don't always find success. So many elements come together to create hurdles. One of them is tech.

Go back to Soderbergh's Kimi, and you will recall how the gadgets there helped Angela as well as threw her into a lot of trouble. Something similar occurs in this show. When a man goes out to rescue a child with a bag full of cash, his phone dies in the middle of the operation (he runs around asking for a portable charger). Two boys connect with one another through Instagram, and this incident has an effect on the plan of the kidnappers. In one of the scenes, a boy uses a food delivery app to find someone's location. I like how technology is neatly integrated into Soderbergh's stories and his characters' lives. It makes them a bit more relatable.

I was surprised by the humor here. It's subtly blended into the action, like how it's done in Kohrra. There is, of course, that point about the abductors carrying the wrong kid in their vehicle. A boy is locked into the bathroom when two characters have private conversations. These two characters later try to blackmail a father, unaware that the information they threaten to expose is already out in the open. You can say that life is playing a joke on them. The characters come up with quick fixes like stealing a painting and, while executing the operation, discover that the painting is firmly attached to its position.

Amidst all the mess, Zazie Beetz emerges as a breath of fresh air. She speaks every line as if forming them on the spot in her brain. Her amusing and lively mannerisms capture your complete attention and overshadow other actors. There are no terrible thespians, but in the presence of Beetz, everyone looks meh. What's more, excluding Beetz, no one sounds interesting. They give a generic, serviceable performance. This is why Full Circle becomes dull during talky moments. There is nothing exciting to see or hear. But if you digest the flaws and stick with the show till the end, you will be rewarded.

Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All six episodes are screened for this review.