Like the ancient sea turtles for which it’s named, this sophisticated tear-jerker from writer/director Tim Kirkman moves very slowly. But those who are patient shall be rewarded by a true story that is both poignant and heartbreaking, performed by a pitch-perfect cast.
“Loggerheads” is a delicate examination of lives torn apart by shame, and the ways in which that shameful emotion can ultimately bring about renewal.
It’s also an indictment of draconian adoption laws (in this case, North Carolina’s) that make it nearly impossible for biological parents and their adult children to find one another, even when both parties have consented to release their identities.
Tess Harper (“Tender Mercies,” “Crimes of the Heart”) is outstanding as a prim small-town North Carolina preacher’s wife who, at her husband’s behest, has been estranged from her adopted son Mark (Kip Pardue) since discovering he was gay years earlier. Bonnie Hunt is equally impressive in a difficult role as Mark’s birth mother, who is haunted by the memory of the child she too was forced to abandon.
Mark, 26, is a drifter who survives by “bartering” with other men, but thankfully he’s no Gus Van Sant caricature. On the contrary, Mark is an intelligent and gentle soul who harbors a fascination with loggerhead turtles (and yes, there’s plenty of symbolism attached to that preoccupation).
When he least expects it, Mark is rescued from loneliness and homelessness by an innkeeper (Michael Kelly) at a tiny coastal resort. (Not rated. Running time: 95 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 14, 2005. Read the original PDF.