''Loggerheads'' is an independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman, produced by Gill Holland and released in the United States by

Strand Releasing Strand Releasing is an American film production company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur-driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong Wee ...

in October 2005. The film stars

Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Lynn Hunt (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, writer and television host. Her film roles include ''Rain Man'', ''Beethoven'', '' Beethoven's 2nd'', ''Jumanji'', ''Jerry Maguire'', '' The Green ...

Tess Harper Tessie Jean Harper (''née'' Washam; born August 15, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's '' Tender Mercies'', and for the Academy Award for B ...

, Michael Kelly,

Chris Sarandon Christopher Sarandon (; born July 24, 1942) is an American actor. He is well known for playing a variety of iconic characters, including Jerry Dandrige in ''Fright Night'' (1985), Prince Humperdinck in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Detective Mik ...

Kip Pardue Kevin Ian "Kip" Pardue (born September 23, 1975) is an American actor and model, who became known for his roles in the films ''Remember the Titans'', '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', '' The Rules of Attraction'' and ''Thirteen''. Early life and educ ...

and

Michael Learned Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is a distinguished American actor, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in ...

and also stars Robin Weigert, Ann Owens Pierce, Valerie Watkins, Trevor Gagnon, Kelly Mizell, Craig Walker, Michael Esper and Joanne Pankow.

Plot

Inspired by true events, ''Loggerheads'' tells the story of an adoption "triad"—birth mother, child, and adoptive parents—each in three interwoven stories in the days leading up to

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...

, and each in one of the three distinctive geographical regions of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(a broad, gently hilly plateau) and Atlantic Coastal Plain. In mountainous

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...

, Grace (

), an airport car-rental agent living with her mother (

), quits her job and embarks on a long-delayed quest: facing the legal barriers that keep her from finding the son she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager. Across the state in Kure Beach, Mark (

), a young man obsessed with saving loggerhead

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

s, meets George ( Michael Kelly), a friendly motel owner, who offers him a place to stay. In the center of the state is the small town of Eden, where a minister's wife (

) struggles to confront her conservative husband (

) over their estrangement from their son.

Production

Irish singer-songwriter and composer

Mark Geary Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter born in Dublin, Ireland, into a large family with seven siblings, one of whom is actor Karl Geary. In 1992 he emigrated to New York City with a one-way ticket after winning a lottery green card. Living ...

wrote the original score as well as two songs for the film. The music of singer-songwriter

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patrici She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ha ...

is also featured prominently, and sonaBLAST! Records released the soundtrack. ''Loggerheads'' was filmed on location primarily in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

in May 2004.

Accolades

After its debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize,AV Club
/ref> ''Loggerheads'' screened at festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad. The film won the Audience Award at both the

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

and the

Florida Film Festival The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Overview The Festival includes narrative and documentary features and shorts, animation, midnight movies, and educational forum ...

, and took the top prize at

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Loggerheads (Film) 2005 films American drama films Culture of Asheville, North Carolina 2005 drama films American independent films American LGBT-related films Films shot in North Carolina Films set in North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1990s 2000s English-language films 2000s American films