The Turtle (2026) Review – This Features Powerful Performances

“The Turtle” is a short film written and directed by Joe Bongiovanni. It deals with relationships, masculinity and how difficult it can be for men to express their feelings.

The film focuses on Barbara (Emma Griffin) and her husband Tony (Richard-John Seikaly) as they attempt to connect with each other, though Tony would prefer to be left alone in what looks to be his pit of self pity.

In my opinion, the reason this film works so well is due to Richard-John Seikaly’s performance as Tony. At first glance, Tony appears stubborn and withdrawn, however, as Barbara attempts to get him to open up, it becomes clear that there is a great deal more happening.

For years Tony has been attempting to be the strong one and handle all of his problems on his own. He has formed a “shell” around himself and this is where the title “The Turtle” originated, a very use of the word if you ask me.

Emma Griffin is also excellent as Barbara. She understands her husband well enough to know something is wrong and while Tony continually attempts to end their conversations, Barbara does not allow him to escape. (We’ve all been there, right?)

The chemistry between them is apparent and the conversations they have appear to be those of a real married couple and not two actors speaking from a script which makes this relatable.

The Turtle is extremely basic in terms of its location, but it does not require anything further. For the majority of the film we witness Tony and Barbara engaged in conversation.

There are also many lighthearted moments between the two that prevent the film from becoming overly serious.

An additional element that makes The Turtle so unique is Bongiovanni’s personal connection to the storyline, Joe Bongiovanni served as a combat veteran in Afghanistan and has discussed the process of transitioning back into civilian life and the need to remain strong both emotionally and financially. He states that the initial draft of the screenplay was based upon an incident involving his former wife approximately ten years prior and you can certainly perceive Bongiovanni’s personal connection to Tony.

The Turtle is a short, character-driven film featuring exceptional performances by Richard-John Seikaly and Emma Griffin.

Joe Bongiovanni uses a concept that is relatively simple – a husband and wife attempting to communicate – and explores something that many men may find relatable within themselves.

Bing the strong one does not imply that you must deal with every issue by yourself and The Turtle successfully conveys this idea.