'My Penguin Friend' Review
“My Penguin Friend” is inspired by a rather unique true story. It begins with a lovely opening credits sequence featuring a map, followed by a rather dark prologue involving a father, Brazil fisherman Joao, who loses his child dies at sea. A bit too intense for the family film crowd the rest of the movie wants to please.
We flashforward to an older Joao (played by Jean Reno), who rescues a penguin named Dindim. They strike up a friendship. Eventually Dindim leaves for Argentina, where thousands of other penguins reside, and then returns to visit Joao and his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza) every year, traveling thousands of miles each way.
Early on (after the prologue), the vibe and tone of “My Penguin Friend” is light and kind of bouncy. Dindim gets into some antics that might make kids laugh (though I’m very glad he doesn’t talk — we’ve had enough of those characters and films). You’re more of an observer than a true investor in this saga, until about the halfway mark. As the stakes begin to increase, so did my interest.
Some researchers in Argentina discover Dindim and might want to take him away from Joao, and other penguins, for their own benefit. There’s also a reporter / host who’s fascinated with Joao and Dindim and wants to do a profile piece on them that could have a global impact, especially on social media. These are straightforward subplots, but they’re expressed well, with a few effective, meaningful things to say.
The visuals offer mixed results. Some of the penguin water moments look a little hokey, but there’s enough real footage to make up for that. Thanks to the performances, the music and the overall intimate feel, “My Penguin Friend” is a nice end of summer experience.
