Set on three different Mother’s Days, Loggerheads features three seemingly separate tales about the residents of a North Carolina community. But as events unfold a series of revelations suggests that our character’s lives are from unconnected…

On Mother’s Day 1999, naturalist Mark arrives at a sleepy beach resort to help the endangered loggerhead turtles. He begins a relationship with motel handyman George, despite his HIV positive status making feel any such relationship is impossible.

On Mother’s Day 2000 a minister’s wife wonders what has happened to her estranged son; while on Mother’s Day 2001 Grace gives up her job to concentrate on tracking down her adopted one.

Such tales are cleverly intertwined by writer and director Tim Kirkman (The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, Dear Jesse), but for a good proportion of the film we feel that his only intention is to portray a strong set of characters with a healthy degree of realism.

But then Kirkman begins to drip-feed the facts - Mark has been adopted, there’s a reason the minister’s wife is intrigued by the new, seemingly gay next-door neighbours etc. until you’re left open mouthed as you realise just how our protagonists’ lives overlap.

It’s a clever film with the slow, meandering pace throughout the majority of the movie lulling you into a false sense of security as you become comfortable in the company of the characters, get caught up in their lives and, more importantly, care about them. Thus, the revelations, when they come, really provide a terrific pay-off.

The title is also a clever one referring both to the turtles – the female Loggerhead always returns to the same beach to hatch her young – and the phrase often attached to families ‘to be at loggerheads’.

Fortunately, script and direction are matched by a fine cast who all turn in a subtle performance that match the gentle pace of the piece. Bonnie Hunt (Grace) and Tess Harper (Elizabeth) in particular portray two very different aspects of motherhood in an equally gracious and moving way; while Kip Pardue (Mark) and Michael Kelly (George) delightfully capture the opening moments of a new relationship – that confusing mix of suppressed emotions and wild abandonment.

Television fans will also be delighted to spot the grand dame of The Waltons, and many a TV movie melodrama, Miss Michael Learned playing Grace’s mother.

Watching Loggerheads reminded this reviewer of watching Secrets and Lies. While quite differently stylistically, the power or the piece, its characters and its revelatory nature involve its audience and packs a similar emotional punch.

Read our interview with Tim Kirkman.

Loggerheads [2005]
Label: TLA Releasing
Released: 12 February 2007
ASIN: B000KCHWAE

Buy the DVD of Loggerheads online and make your own mind up about this new film. Get it online and save yourself some money to put other queer movies like Parallel Sons, Hellbent, Slutty Summer, Happy Endings, A Year Without Love, Latter Days, Eating Out, Regular Guys and Cowboys & Angels.