Monday, June 14, 2010

Loggerheads (dir. Tim Kirkman, 2005)

In anticipation of this week's Provincetown International Film Festival, I was thinking back to some of the best films that I’ve seen at the festival over the past five years. The film that stands out the most in my mind is Tim Kirkman’s Loggerheads, which screened at the festival in 2005, the very first year that I attended.

The attributes that make Loggerheads so memorable for me are its narrative style, its tone, and its performances (though its writing, direction, and cinematography are just as commendable). Kirkman’s screenplay is structured around three separate but interlocking storylines, which take place at three different locations in the filmmaker’s home state of North Carolina during three consecutive years: Kure Beach in 1999, Eden in 2000, and Asheville in 2001. The brilliant intricacy with which Kirkman interweaves these stories throughout the film, jumping back and forth in time and space, never calls attention to itself, feeling perfectly natural and unimposing in each successive scene.

This ease of movement is reflected in the film’s unique tonal quality. I originally saw the film in Provincetown’s cavernous, echoing Town Hall, which has been closed and under renovation for the past two years. I sat in the back row to give myself some extra space, far from the screen and the sound-speakers. The distance and the immensity of the venue accentuated for me just how dramatically even and uninflected the tone of the entire film is. Although the narrative tension gradually builds throughout the film’s ninety minutes, the actors’ voices never rise above normal speaking volume. Only once or twice in a key scene does a character sound momentarily stern. That level evenness of tone — while keeping the audience’s attention thoroughly engaged at every moment — is extremely difficult to achieve.

The film’s intertwined plotlines are all centrally concerned with mothers, and the story is based on actual events. Grace, played with understated elegance by Bonnie Hunt, has long mourned the loss of the son to whom she gave birth out of wedlock as a teenager, and who was immediately placed with an anonymous family by an adoption agency. Because North Carolina laws stipulated (until very recently) that all adoption records must remain permanently sealed, Grace has been unable to find her son, Mark, who’s subtly and movingly portrayed by Kip Pardue. Those same laws also prevent Mark from initiating any sort of contact with his birth mother. By the time she locates him via the services of Rachel (Robin Weigert), a woman who relies on covert networking to make such connections happen, Grace is tragically about a year too late.

Through Mark’s story, we learn that he ran away from home at age 17 and has lived an itinerant life since then, due to fallout after his adoptive parents, a conservative minister and his reluctantly devoted wife, discovered that Mark is gay. Veteran screen actors Chris Sarandon and Tess Harper play Mark’s parents, Robert and Elizabeth, in a pair of impeccably detailed performances. In fact, all of the actors’ portrayals in the film are so delicately calibrated and finely crafted that they make award-winning performers seem nearly histrionic by comparison. Equally remarkable are Michael Kelly as George, the seaside motel manager with whom Mark becomes romantically involved, and Ann Owens Pierce as Ruth, Mark’s childhood neighbor who keeps in touch with him and eventually helps him overcome his estrangement from his adoptive mother, despite Elizabeth’s anxiety about the apparently gay male couple who’ve moved in across the street.

The opening image of Mark’s storyline is one of the most beautifully photographed introductions I’ve ever seen in any movie: the camera slowly pans across the sand to find Mark’s tousled blond hair and handsome, unshaven face in a sunlit close-up, just as he wakes from a night of sleeping on the beach. The image is also symbolic, as we find out later when the film’s title is explained during one of Mark’s monologues. He’s come to Kure Beach to see the rare loggerhead turtles; the place is a sanctuary for them, especially the female loggerheads, who return to the same beach where they were born when it’s time for them to lay their eggs. Grace, Mark’s birth mother, appears on this same beach in the film’s closing scene. The loggerhead symbolism lightly underscores the film, never feeling too blatant or heavy-handed.

As Mark begins his relationship with George, who finds him not long after he’s woken up, it becomes clear that Kure Beach — its name is no coincidence — will also be a protective sanctuary for Mark himself. He reveals to George that he tested positive for HIV on his 21st birthday, and that he’s decided not to treat the virus with medication. Pardue and Kelly are both believable and unexaggerated in their portrayals, refreshing to witness in an era when gay male characters are still too often presented in stereotypical ways. Cinema needs more gay male representations like the characters in this film: everyday, matter-of-fact, sexually open but not overly sexualized.

The most impressive and effective element of Kirkman’s film is its use of intelligent transitions. When juggling three storylines simultaneously, segues from scene to scene need to be seamless and sensible. Kirkman accomplishes this by poetically creating connections through both imagery and dialogue. One such instance occurs when the camera first gazes down a staircase to where Grace sits contemplatively, then cuts to an aerial perspective shot of Mark and George standing beneath a hotel balcony, and then finally cuts to Elizabeth staring down from her bedroom window as we hear her husband ask, “Are you spying on the homosexuals?” In a later scene, a shot of Mark's sky-blue bandanna fades into a gently revolving blue sky, with sunlight sifting down through white clouds around the borders. At every turn we can feel Kirkman’s sure directorial hand, even if we’re not aware of it at every moment. Ultimately, the film's trajectory is heartbreaking and restorative at once, like a long summer afternoon that I wished would never come to a close.

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning the film’s soundtrack music, which features three strategically selected and precisely placed songs by contemporary folk performer Patty Griffin: “As Cold As It Gets,” “Rowing Song,” and “Forgiveness.” Given that Griffin didn’t write these numbers in relation to the film, it’s stunning how appropriately the lyrics of these tracks fit their respective scenes, both emotionally and thematically. I’ve been a fan of Griffin’s music for many years now, and hearing these songs again in the context of Kirkman’s film deepened my appreciation for her talents as a singer and songwriter even more.

Next week, I’ll be posting a full report about the 12th annual Provincetown International Film Festival here on my blog, including some critiques of my favorite films from this year’s festival.

14 comments:

  1. I agree, Jason: a moving and beautifully acted film, this, quite brilliantly constructed. I really loved it.

    Enjoy the festival; look forward to your post on that. I just found out that there was a preview screening of LE REFUGE here in London last week, including a Q&A with Ozon! Missed it, dammit!

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  2. I'm very glad that you've seen and enjoyed Loggerheads, Alex. I wasn't sure if this quiet little film had made its way over to the UK or not. It played here in Boston for only a week at an art-house cinema, but I think the movie has probably found a healthy viewership since its release on DVD, which it certainly deserves.

    So sorry to hear that you missed the screening (and Q&A) of Le Refuge. Hopefully, you'll have another chance to see it soon. I just noticed your latest blog post and can't believe that Ozon already has another film ready!

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  3. I don't think it had a cinema release here, but I saw it at a festival in 2006 and then once more on DVD. Your post has made me want to revisit it again.

    As for Ozon, the guy never stops! Now there are *three* new films by him I haven't seen! Can't wait to read your thoughts on LE REFUGE.

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  4. Loggerheads definitely rewards multiple viewings. So many tiny details to pick up on. I'd watched it probably ten or more times over the past five years, and when I watched it again this past weekend in preparation for my review, I heard a great line that I'd never noticed before! As Mark is walking through the doorway of the bar where he has a drink with George, the old lady who's the bartender says, "Want another Carolina Blonde, George?" I assume that it's a local brand of North Carolina beer, but it's also a clever double entendre for the strappingly handsome Carolina blond who's just entered the bar!

    So excited to see Le Refuge later this week...

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  5. Loggerheads was an excellent film with beautifully subtle and understated performances from Kip Pardue, Tess Harper, Michael Kelly, Chris Sarandon, and Bonnie Hunt. IMO, Kip Pardue was the biggest revelation. Judging from this film and some of his other work, I think he's good enough to be a leading man but that hasn't really been the case in his career thus far. He's still relatively young though so perhaps he'll be in more quality films like this one in the near future.

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  6. Thanks for your comment. I think of this film often, and it's definitely one of my favorites. It's interesting that Kip Pardue's acting career has faded out a bit now, just like his character Mark does at the end of the film.

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    1. From what I've read about Kip Pardue, it seems as though he's purposely avoided the spotlight. After starring in that horrible Stallone film Driven which bombed at the box office and with critics, Kip purposely stuck to low-budget indie films, the type that get little to no attention and sometimes go straight to DVD. That way, he could do the roles he wanted to do without any pressure or fanfare. I guess he'd rather be a working actor than a star. The problem is that he hasn't really been in anything well received since Loggerheads (although Wizard of Gore, Remarkable Power, and Wasted do have some followers). I guess he's enjoying himself for the time being with romantic comedies and horror films after doing a series of intense films like Thirteen, Imaginary Heroes, and Loggerheads. I still hope to see him in more quality stuff in the near future as his abilities as an actor are quite underrated in my opinion.

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  7. Thank you for these updates on Kip Pardue's career. I'm glad to hear that he's enjoyed additional acting work over time, even if the roles haven't all been as gratifying or demanding as his character in Loggerheads. I think his performance in the film is really flawless and pitch-perfect. I'll have to check out some of his other performances as well, and I appreciate your suggestions.

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    1. You're very welcome. I got this info about his career from interviews he's done over the years (which are few and far between). Just a head's up though, his roles in Thirteen and Imaginary Heroes were very very small but he has some key and important scenes. And people either seemed to love or absolutely hate his performance in The Wizard of Gore (much like the movie itself). But even in 'lesser' horror films and romantic comedies like Wizard of Gore, Stag Night, and Hostel III, Kip honestly looks like he's thoroughly enjoying himself (kudos to him I guess). Still, I personally wish he would go back to doing quality work like Loggerheads because not only was the movie amazing but he was stunning in it in a very quiet and subtle way. He's only about 36 or 37 I think so a return to serious drama could always be in the books for him, if he wanted to.

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  8. Yep, he's quite stunning in it, and in his photos on IMDB, too. But I'll refrain from gushing for now. :)

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    1. Oh yes, he's easy on the eyes. His looks were used quite well in a small HBO film called Roads to Riches (or Strange Hearts). Someone posted a short review of it on his imdb forum recently and I agree that he was used quite well for his likeability and killer smile. As for the film though, I'm not sure what to make of it (it's an odd little film).

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  9. Anyone there knows if it's possible to get the screenplay for this beautiful movie ? The DVD doesn't come with English subtitles and would like to understand the whole movie. My first language is not English : - (

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    1. A screenplay for the film doesn't appear to be available for purchase or online. Perhaps it would be worth contacting the director via his website? He might be able to point you in a helpful direction. Good luck!

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  10. Oh wow, I haven't thought about this wonderful movie in years. I remember being moved when I first saw it about 7-8 years ago. And yes to the comment above about getting Kip Pardue back to quality movies. He did so well in this movie but I can't recall anything he's done since Loggerheads.

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