MY PENGUIN FRIEND

(director: David Schurmann; screenwriters: Kristen Lazarian, Paulina Lagudi Ulrich; cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle; editor: Teresa Font; music: Fernando Velazquez; cast: Jean Reno (Joao), Adriana Barraza (Maria), Rochi Hernandez (Stephanie), Nicolas Francella (Carlos), Duda Galvão (Young Lucia), Thalma de Freitas (Calista), Juan Jose Garnica (Miguel); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: PG; producers: Robin Jonas, Shaked Berenson, Patrick Eald, Nicolas Veinberg, Steven P. Wegner, Jonathan Lim, Andreas Wentz; Roadside Attractions; 2024-Brazil/USA-in English)

“A poignant humanist/nature story on love and healing.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The heartwarming dramedy is based on a true story that took place about 15 years ago in a small fishing village in Brazil. The fisherman Joao (Jean Reno) rescues a Magellanic penguin covered in oil following a tanker spill. He wipes off the oil, and the young village girl Lucia (Duda Galvão) names it DinDim. Joao lets DinDim roam freely around his modest house and front yard, which is partially in the ocean. After a few months, the penguin was healthy enough to be returned to the ocean to carry on with his normal life.

Surprisingly, the penguin returned a year later to visit Joao and wife Maria (Adriana Barraza). He then did this for a number of years, staying for several months at a time.

Caring for the penguin helped the fisherman feel a renewed purpose in the world, as he’s still sad that his young son drowned a long time ago. 

Director David Schurmann (“Little Secret”/”Desaparecidos”) does a good job mixing together fact and fiction, and by wisely using a real penguin instead of a CGI one. The smart script by Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich creates in this minor film a poignant humanist/nature story on love and healing.

REVIEWED ON 8/18/2024  GRADE: B
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