A heartwarming tale of a strong bond between a person and an unlikely animal buddy, My Penguin Friend doesn’t reinvent a classic genre, but it is a fine bit of family entertainment. Based on a true story of a man and his waddling BFF, My Penguin Friend is another tale of a broken person learning how to live and love again. Viewers already know the type of tale this is going to be from the start, but it has all the proper elements needed to make the strongest version of this story possible. It’s mostly familiar territory, but just different enough to remain engaging and inspirational.
Jean Reno stars as Joao, a reclusive Brazilian fisherman living on the island of Ilha Grande just outside of Rio de Janeiro. Ever since suffering a tragic loss several decades ago – one he blames himself for – Joao has shut out everyone except for his wife, Maria (Adriana Barraza). One day out on the water, Joao comes across a wayward Magellanic penguin in a lot of trouble. Covered from head to toe in oil from a nearby spill and separated from the rest of his flock mid-migration, the little guy is in dire straits. Joao takes the bird in, cleans him up, builds him a nest, and earns himself a fast friend in the process. Joao doesn’t keep the bird as a pet, but rather allows him to come and go as he pleases and the seasons dictate, generally showing up in June, leaving in December, and coming back the next summer. While in the middle of a migration, the penguin, affectionately named Dindim, is studied by a group of researchers who find his kind, calm nature around humans to be curious. They eventually discover the link between Joao and Dindim, as do many members of the press who want a chance to profile the publicity averse fisherman that befriended a penguin.
There’s a lot of manufactured drama in My Penguin Friend, but thankfully not enough to make the viewer feel like the story has been lost amid a lot of sappiness. The script from Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich nails the parallel between Joao’s loss and the hardship faced by Dindim, and also how a relationship between a human being and a wild animal can be a complex dynamic, sometimes in cute and silly ways (like pooping on the floor) or emotionally trying ways (worrying whenever the free roaming creature is late returning or goes walkabout). Eventually a subplot emerges involving the scientific researchers studying the bird arguing over whether or not they should turn Dindim over to a university for further analysis, and while that plays out more or less like one would suspect, it’s all in the name of entertainment, never getting too dark to turn off younger viewers, nor too light to bore the older ones. My Penguin Friend might not be all that original, but you can’t say that it’s imbalanced.
Director David Schurmann makes the most of the gorgeous locations he’s been gifted with, and outside of some occasionally jarring edits and unconvincing bits of CGI, My Penguin Friend is a most accomplished looking film. Schurmann has two major aces in the hole working on the production, the first and perhaps most important being Oscar winning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, one of filmmaker Danny Boyle’s closest and most inventive collaborators. At first, it almost feels like Mantle is bringing too much energy to such a quiet and low key story, but once the penguin and Joao start interacting, the film bursts with visual playfulness (including a clever “penguin’s eye view” shot that is revisited from time to time) and a fluid sense of motion and purpose. It’s a stunning looking film from start to finish, and far above expectations when it comes to such a genre effort.
Schurmann’s other ace is Reno, who gets to showcase a tender side of his skill set that has often gone under-appreciated throughout his career. Often tasked with playing tough guys, Reno tones things down considerably here to paint a picture of a person whose well of sadness and regret runs deep. With weathered skin and a permanently wrinkled wardrobe, Reno’s Joao looks grizzled but acts depressed, a tough, but relatable character dynamic that the actor plays off really well. Whenever Joao starts to warm up and act happy for a change, Reno makes sure that shift in perspective is both subtle and earned. As a star vehicle for the aging multi-national actor, My Penguin Friend is an unlikely success.
And, of course, the penguin is great. Viewers who simply want to take their kids to watch a penguin prank unsuspecting locals, mimic his friend’s hammering of a nail, or decorate his own nest will get their requisite cuteness overload from My Penguin Friend. As for the story that goes along with the penguin, I’ll admit that nothing in Schurmann’s film shocked or challenged me, but I was never bored and I felt like my heart was consistently and assuredly warmed. It’s not the kind of film that’s going to change the world or reinvent cinema, but My Penguin Friend gave me what this kind of movie should: a bunch of good feelings and never a thought that my time was being wasted. That’s always a win in my book.
My Penguin Friend opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, August 16, 2024.
