My Penguin Friend Family Movie Review

Movies

by Janis Brett Elspas, Editor

Mommy Blog Expert

New Family Movie Now in Theaters

MBE screened the film in advance for this review, Post contains affiliate links

A beautiful new summer family drama called My Penguin Friend (2024, Rated PG) which the whole family will enjoy, opens in theaters this weekend. It's a story touching on concepts such as family, resilience, friendship, nature and wildlife conservation. Brought to the big screen by Roadside Attractions, this is a picture that is based on an amazing but true story about a penguin living in the wild who bonds with a man who is suffering after a great family tragedy. 

COMING to DIGITAL Oct 1, 2024

Inspired by a True Story

My Penguin Friend is inspired by the true and amazing journey of a very special wild penquin which begins back in May 2011 in the beachside village of Ilha Grande near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

A Brazilian fisherman who is a sad and lonely father in the role of real-life João Pereira De Souza (portrayed in the movie by internationally-known actor Jean Reno) discovers a Magellanic penguin stranded on the beach near where he lives, the victim of an oil spill that has left the penguin soaked with thick, toxic oil residue. Without a second thought the man rescues the bird with the intention of caring for it, then returning it to the wild once the penguin is able to swim uninhibited again. 

In the movie retelling, João brings the penguin home and into his house to wash and clean off the bird's sticky feathers. At first his wife Maria (played by Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza) will have none of it, but luckily she finally relents and is no long bothered by having to share her home with her husband's new friend, a wild penguin.

The fisherman slowly nurses the sea creature back to health, with the two bonding during the healing process. When a neighborhood child sees João with the penquin for the first time, she excitedly points to itand says DinDim (pronounced Jin-Jin) which is actually the mispronounciation of pinquim, the Portuguese word for penguin. Though never intended to become a permanent pet, the name DinDim sticks with all the people in the seaside village.

When the penguin is physically fully recovered, João tries to do the right thing to return DinDim to the wild. But, everytime he takes the penguin out in his boat to release him, the bird keeps swimming back to the fisherman's beach. Day after day the penguin continues to hang around and the fisherman builds a penguin house for his long-term visitor. Then one day, the man discovers that DinDim is gone. While he misses the penguin's companionship, he is also glad that the bird has finally returned to his natural home in the sea. Many months pass by until the penguin suddenly returns to João's beach house, the process repeats itself each year.

Over time, by chance, DinDim is tagged with a GPS device by field scientists. Using the tracking device, these biologists who are studying the enmasse migration each fall of this species of Magellan penguin from Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands, prove that these small little penguins, like DinDim, have the mind-blowing ability to be able to travel as much as 4,000 miles on each migration trip along coastal South America.

  

The Making Of My Penguin Friend

Shot on location in Brazil and Argentina, the cinematography is breathtaking, both of the scenery and the wildlife. Ten penguins from the Ubatuba Aquarium in Brazil, a rescue facility caring for injured penguins unable to survive in the wild, were trained for various DinDim scenes you'll see in the movie. 

Scene after scene, often told from the non-human POV, the filmmakers strived for realism. That level of commitment really shows in their minimal usage of CGI and animation. In fact, 3D was reserved just for the scenes too dangerous for the penguin actors and for the ones that would be difficult or impossible to shoot. After seeing this movie myself, I doubt the audience will even notice because the transitions between the real and unreal are truly seamless.

On the music, David Schurmann, the director, notes, “I wanted sensitive, emotional music that draws you into the heart of the beauty and the danger, and composer Fernando Velazquez gave us something very special. His music touches your soul." I could not agree more with Schurmann's assessment, the music was so expressive, soulful, heartfelt and well-matched to what was going on in each scene.

About My Penguin Friend

Learn more about My Penguin Friend, where it's showing and booking tickets by visiting the movie's official website. Also, check out the Roadside Attractions studio site as well as follow them @RoadsideAttractionsFilms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.