Two separate people, a man and a woman, find something very stirring about the sea turtles in their tank at the London Zoo. They meet and form an odd, but sympathetic camaraderie as they plan to steal two of the turtles and free them into the ocean.
Acting
Kingsley and Jackson's delicate, unsentimental chemistry
Writing
Russell Hobbs' novel adapted with Harold Pinter's spare dialogue
Cinematography
Gloomy London interiors that feel like emotional prisons

Director
John Irvin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Screenwriter Harold Pinter and star Glenda Jackson were longtime collaborators and rumored lovers; their real intimacy bleeds into every scene.
The 1985 release flopped commercially but became a cult favorite for capturing Thatcher-era alienation—two middle-class failures finding meaning in absurd activism.