Loggerheads (2005)

The Sundance cable blurb suggested this was a "low-budget" film worth seeing. A few minutes in I thought I was watching the Lifetime channel for women, but then it showed some interesting story angles and some very nice scenery and I was hooked. The symbolism of sea turtles needing to return to their origins was a little heavy, however, as was the casting of attractive blondes to demonstrate genetic linkage and suggest I suppose why the adoptive mother might have picked the child in the first place. Minor comments.Having come to this film without any foreknowledge of it, I did not catch on to the secondary theme until the red apple pie was about to be delivered to the new neighbors. I was also confused by the way scenes were begun and ended in different times and places until finally I realized how it was tracking in a technical sense to its inevitable conclusion.Still, I was unprepared for the sudden turn about thirty minutes from that conclusion, in which the woman hired to find the son unexpectedly dropped her bombshell. Clumsy editing? I don't know. Normally when I like a film up to a point then lose interest as it dissolves into clichéd denouement I feel cheated. Yet this was such an excellent presentation on the whole I cannot find much fault. I guess I just missed something where redemption and reconciliation might have been more explicit.Much above average for a so-called low budget film.

Loggerheads are turtles, found along the coast of North Carolina, whose lives are unique in that the females always return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs, hatch their young who in turn by moonlight go out to sea only to return to their origin to repeat the life cycle. The film by the name LOGGERHEADS relies heavily on this phenomenon: it is set in North Carolina and is guided by the young man Mark (Kip Pardue) who opens the story sleeping on the beach in Kure Beach, NC where he studies and protects the loggerheads.A complex and challenging film, writer/director Tim Kirkman (The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, Dear Jesse) calls upon a true story to bring up questions of adoption in all the permutations of the triad, homosexuality, religious intolerance, bigotry, AIDS, and the longing for love and forgiveness. Kirkman sets his story in three years - 1999, 2000, 2001 - a fact that can be disconcerting until the flow of the film reveals the need to separate the events in time.Mark is befriended by George (Michael Kelly) who is a kind young man, owning a motel, and who provides a room for the beach sleeper Mark. Mark quickly informs George that he has AIDS, thinking that George's kindness is a barter. But George is a true friend and their relationship grows slowly and with mutual trust as they learn the secrets of their pasts: George's lover 'drowned' in a mysterious accident; Mark ran away from his adoptive parents when they discovered he was gay; both men are tender and vulnerable souls afraid of further commitment.Simultaneously we are introduced to Grace (Bonnie Hunt), recently recovering from a suicide attempt who longs to connect with the son she was forced to give up for adoption at age 17, and who lives with her rather rigid mother Sheridan (Michael Learned) who believes Grace should not try to discover the son she never knew. We also meet the minister Rev. Robert (Chris Sarandon) and his wife Elizabeth (Tess Harper) who are fanatics about gay people and even resent their neighbor Ruth (Ann Pierce) who places a nude statue of David on her lawn. The couple's son Mark is never discussed and the adoptive parents never communicate with him - but Ruth does. Ruth finally confides that Mark is ill and the wounds of separation open for Elizabeth. Meanwhile Grace has paid a 'finder' to locate Mark but the finder gives her a sad report. The three years of the story line make exquisite sense at this point as we realize that Kirkman has allowed us to be voyeurs into a human drama of immense substance, one that inexorably binds these disparate characters.The cast is genuinely fine, with Kip Pardue, Michael Kelly, Bonnie Hunt, Tess Harper all giving highly sophisticated performances. But the credit for the impact of this stunning film goes to the writing and directing of Tim Kirkman. He has a way with film that is unique: we can only hope he will continue to make films of this quality, films that tackle difficult issues and are molded into realistic, non-manipulated dramas. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

This isn't a tidy little movie with a predictable end, predictable characters nor script— rather this is a compelling, profoundly moving film refreshing in how delicate it is. The performances are nuanced and the dialogue and story lines have a verisimilitude that left me feeling touched by the characters. They felt "real." That is rare in any film— that quality where you stop watching actors and start watching characters and feel their pain, hopes, dreams. I only saw this movie by accident as my boyfriend and I got to the theater to see another film which happened to be sold out and seats were available for this film. Lucky for me.

I saw this as part of the Reel Pride Film Festival (10/26/05) in Detroit, MI. Few films I have seen in my life have so profoundly moved me. Writer/Director Tim Kirkman has crafted a very touching film. There are three overlapping stories in three different time lines. Make sure you pay close attention to the dates in the captions at the beginning of the film. The people I saw the film with did not and were very confused as the story unfolded. The title refers to the near extinct Loggerhead turtle who live on the beaches of North Carolina. The story is rather involved to explain without giving anything away as far as the plot. All of the actors involved are excellent especially the relationship between Mark (Kip Pardue) and George (Michael Kelly) there is a sweetness between them without being sappy or melodramatic. Tess Harper who I remember from two of my all time favorite films "Tender Mercies" (1983) and her Oscar nominated role in "Crimes of the Heart" (1986)gives a multi-layered performance in Loggerheads striking a delicate balance with her emotions. In the hands of a lesser actress the role that Ms. Harper played could have been a one note shrew. Most surprising to me was the dramatic abilities of Bonnie Hunt. I am familiar with Ms. Hunt's comedic roles such as her Emmy nominated turn in the short-lived TV series "Life With Bonnie" again, like most of this film if not played with real emotions the role of Grace as played by Bonnie Hunt could have been the stuff of daytime soaps. I feel that the clever script, strong direction and talented cast elevate this film to one of the best in recent years. You must see Loggerheads. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!