The Greater Circulation

1908, Paris. Over three fever-dream nights in the Hotel Biron, poet Rainer Maria Rilke encounters the ghost of his good friend, artist Paula Modersohn-Becker, who died shortly after giving birth to her first child. In response to this haunting, Rilke writes his epic prose lament, "Requiem for a Friend", as a tribute to Paula and to women torn between choosing a life sacrificed to Art or to Motherhood. One hundred years later, three women - a painter, an actress and a dancer - and a theatre director prepare to stage Rilke's "Requiem" in Berkeley California as abstract performance ritual.

Directed by Antero Alli, The Greater Circulation leans on a strong ensemble — Antero Alli, Thia (Sylvi) Alli, Lloyd Bricken — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2005.