Based on Tom Michell’s memoir, the story has a heartwarming premise of a British teacher in 1970s Argentina, who rescues a penguin (Juan Salvador, icon) and smuggles him into his school, changing the lives of students along the way. Think Dead Poet’s Society meets Mr Popper’s Penguins.
I think that there was a lot of potential in the plot, especially by being set in the historical backdrop of Argentina on the brink of dictatorship. The 1976 coup d’état, one of the most darkest times in Argentina’s modern history, simmers in the background slightly but is never fully explored or given the weight and attention it deserves.
For a film set during a time when people were “disappearing” and imprisoned, The Penguin Lessons seems very reluctant to go into any detail or build on characters, while glossing over the tension and danger of the era. I feel that when you place a story in such a charged historical moment, there is a responsibility to at least engage with it. I couldn’t help but wish the film had used its unique premise as a lens to explore how ordinary people were affected by the events in a deeper and less safe way.
That said, the film has a charm to it. The Penguin Lessons does bring a warmth by focusing on the bond between the teacher and the penguin that is hard to resist. While it doesn’t explore the political climate of Argentina fully, the penguin becomes a symbol of hope and connection amidst uncertainty, and in a way, it is refreshing to see a film take a step back from the larger political narrative to focus on the small, personal impacts of kindness and companionship.
It is a film that doesn’t demand much but offers a cozy, heartfelt escape, providing a gentle reminder of the power in simple acts of care during difficult times.