"Loggerheads" had the dubious distinction of screening the night after "Wilby Wonderful" at the 2005 Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. And since both films concern multiple interconnected storylines revolving around small town, resort area life; and since both were screened on (poorly transferred) digital video; and since both had a smattering of well-known names in the cast, it was difficult to separate the two. For quite a while, I wanted to dislike this film.

But "Loggerheads" slowly evolves and begins to sink its hooks into you. Early on there is a fantastic scene with Bonnie Hunt working as a rental car agent who notices a birth date on a young male customer's driver's license and begins to ask if he was adopted. Hunt is so perfect in this scene that she immediately gains our sympathy and understanding. The best part for me was that I didn't even recognize it was Hunt, whom I adore. She didn't even look or sound like herself. For a long time I thought they had just hired an unknown actress and she reminded me of Bonnie Hunt. It wasn't until almost two thirds of the way through the film that there was a shot of her sitting silently and I snapped to the fact that it really was her. Her performance here is amazing.

The gay aspect of the story revolves around a young wanderer (in Austin we call them "travelers") named Mark who goes to a beach community in North Carolina to watch the loggerhead turtles return home and lay their eggs. Mark meets George, a motel owner and the two strike up a friendship. George, although a little older than Mark, is a sweet, loving and caring person and the demure yet obviously damaged younger man is drawn to him instantly. Their relationship is complex and I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'll just say that writer and director Tim Kirkland handles their connection honestly and perfectly.

The final aspect of the three-tier storyline, which also has gay elements, find a minister and his wife having trouble accepting the fact that a gay couple with a son may have just moved in to their subdivision. For a long time we do not see the connection to the rest of the stories being told here but eventually they are tied together in an obvious way. The beauty of this is that the script and acting here are so good that we don't mind figuring out where the film is going before it actually gets there.

In addition to Hunt, the cast includes some wonderful actors. Tess Harper is awesome as the minister's coy wife. Kip Purdue is perfectly adorable and yet honest and open as Mark, and Michael Kelly is just as perfect as George. There could be creepy moments between these two in the hands of lesser actors but the warm, loving chemistry between Purdue and Kelly really ground the film and make it the emotional masterpiece that it is. Their kiss in the film might just be the most honest kiss between two men on screen ever.

If there is any problem with the film other than the fact that its DV quality is not conducive to a theatrical release and this film will probably only see the light of day at festivals and on DVD, it is the music in the piece. I'm so sick of the quiet, phony singer/songwriter type crap (i.e. some chick or dude with an acoustic guitar caterwauling about the seasons changing or the death of love) being ramped up in the quiet reflective moments in independent films that I could just pull my ears off. This has got to stop. It's time for independent low-budget filmmakers to get creative in the scoring of their film. We've all seen "Magnolia." It's time to move on. I realize that small budget indies have to have original music but I challenge America's next crop of non-studio filmmakers to set a new tone and come up with a new way to garner emotion in the quiet, reflective moments in their films. You don't need some dope-smoking hippy wannabee poet to set the tone for your films. Try something much more daring! I beg you.

"Loggerheads" isn't the most perfect film I've ever seen but it is certainly one of the better gay dramas I've seen this year. While acceptance, coming out, AIDS, homophobia and religious intolerance are part of the storyline, the film is still subtle and graceful and seeks only to tell its story. It is not interested in shocking us, provoking us or making us sad. That alone makes it stand head and shoulders above many other films of a similar ilk.

Notes:

Also with Chris Sarandon and Michael Learned.

Set and filmed in North Carolina.

Some songs by Patty Griffin are used.

The film's end credits say it is based on a true story and that the film, which has a subplot about an birth mother trying to find the son she gave up for adoption, reflects the North Carolina laws regarding adoption before 2001.

The film played at Sundance in 2005 and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. The film was picked up by Strand who plan to release it to arthouses beginning in October 2005.

Viewed at Agliff in October of 2005 with my friends Craig and Johnny Oh!, both of whom complained about the quality of the video transfer at the screening we attended. I noticed it to but I was surprised when both of them mentioned it to me during the screening (each of them were on either side of me). If they mentioned it, you know it had to be bad.

Report Card

Script: B+

Acting: A+

Cinematography\Lighting: D+

Special Effects\Make Up: C

Music: F

Final Grade: B-