gradyharp 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

trevor-156 I was thoroughly engrossed watching this movie. The performances were outstanding and very current in view of the backlash of religious fervor flooding the country since Bush. All the characters are well drawn and the gradual melding of the story lines was quite surprising. The humanity and understated pride in being what we are is a the main benefit I gained from enjoying this great movie. Bonnie Hunt had not been a favorite actress of mine but I really enjoyed her in this and felt very moved by the Tess Harper character and her struggle to find her own viewpoint, separate from her preacher husband. The location shooting added a lot to the atmosphere.

gryffindor249 Well, now that all of the director/ productions company's friends and relations have posted their shill reviews after seeing this at various festivals, I guess it's time to show reviews written by people who actually paid 10 bucks to see it.Like the director's "Dear Jesse" (the only other one of his films I have seen), "Loggerheads" suffers from a lack of focus and too many ideas crammed into an indie budget. I swear, this guy might have better luck doing miniseries. I kept waiting for the various plot threads to come together, but they only intercepted at points blatantly forshadowed in a way obvious to all but the most dense viewer. It was like watching a season of Lifetime made-for-TV movies crammed into one, long (did I say LOOONG) sketch on the old "Carol Burnett" show. Maybe an enterprising male suitor could take his girlfriend to see this and then exclaim "Hey...remember all of the chick flicks we went to last year...the one about the adoptive mother...the one about the gay guy...the one about the Christian housewife. We went to THREE Chick Flicks last year; so now we have to go see Terminator 4!" I guess one has to do anything to cast a familiar actor to get funding, but what oh what is Bonnie Hunt doing in this flick? She isn't exactly known as a dramatic actress, and this attempted "performance" won't be sending Mr. Oscar to her door. I mean (speaking of Lifetime Original Movies), wasn't Valerie Bertinelli or Farah Fawcett available? Ms. Hunt has always come off to me as cold, maybe she should have played the other mom? I wish I would have chosen "Capote" to fill my weekly Gay-themed Indie Allowance..oh well, maybe next week. I think there is a good reason why Capote is playing at tons of theatres all over the NYC area and this one is playing at only one; let the distributors faith in this flick assure to to run in the opposite direction if you don't trust this review!

danarog As most people already know, this film was shot on location in North Carolina and features mountains, beaches and quaint historic areas. It effectively uses well-known actors alongside up-and-comers from the local community. The 3 intertwined stories keep you guessing and hold you glued to the edge of your seat until the final scene. While it isn't exactly a feel good movie, it definitely washes over the you and gives you a number of larger issues to think about after you leave the theater. You might want to bring along a Kleenex.Kip Pardue's gay character is so hot that it's easy for a straight gal to fall in love with him too. I don't think this is just the gay-themed film it's sometimes been touted as, but a film that will achieve national success and appeal to a very broad audience, both male and female. The color green, the Loggerhead turtle theme, and the heart-wrenching quests of the film's main characters all tie together to make this a film unlike any other. I highly recommend it.I might be a wee bit biased because my historic home in Wilmington was used extensively as Grace's mother's house. In addition, meeting Tim Kirkman and the wonderful crew was an amazing experience. Wilmington locals like myself who have worked on Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Surface, and Stateside were really impressed with how professional these guys (and girls) were, especially in light of their small budget!