Peter Cattaneo, still most famous for The Full Monty, directs this Jeff Pope adaptation of Tom Michell’s 2016 memoir of the same name. Steve Coogan stars as Michell, a British teacher who takes a job in Argentina in 1976, and finds his life transformed when he rescues a penguin covered in oil from the beach.
As so often happens, this is coincidentally the second film in less than 12 months about a man bonding with a penguin, following last year’s My Penguin Friend, but the source material for the two movies differs. I have not seen that film, but The Penguin Lessons was a marvellous surprise. I was expecting laughs with the cute creature as Michell tries to hide him from his officious headmaster, played by Johnathan Pryce, and that is provided as Coogan gets to show off his impeccable comic timing. But, the backdrop of the brutal fascist, US-backed, coup and Tom’s tragic backstory make this deeper and more emotional than I expected.
As well and Coogan and Pryce, Alfonsina Carrocio as Sofia, a cleaner at the school who Tom befriends, gives a really spirited performance. I did, however, find the happy ending quite unrealistic bearing in mind over 30,000 people were disappeared in the seven years the junta had power, though I understand why that note was struck.
Rating: 8 out of 10