This charming family film about friendship and loss doesn't fly too far

Summary

• The film resolves the sadness with the expected penguin antics.
• Emotional performances elevate a story like Homeward Bound.
• An unnecessary subplot affects pacing and audience engagement.

Based on a heartwarming true story, My Penguin Friend (2024) promises both laughs and a good cry for the whole family. However, as the movie's animal star, the film doesn't quite fly, but manages to hit all the notes associated with this kind of heartwarming, family-friendly fare. After all, it's hard not to be satisfied without real-life inspiration for a David Schurmann feature. As can be seen from the final text, The lost penguin, who was actually named DinDim by those who met him, swam more than 5,000 miles over eight years from Patagonia to Brazil..

My Penguin Friend Is Not Afraid of Tragedy

The film tackles grief, including the expected penguin antics

How wonderful that DinDim braves the brave waters to visit humble fisherman Joao (a charming Jean Reno). the novelty of a penguin being as loyal as a puppy is not enough to help with film selection. ” is calculated asa triumphant tale of friendship,” My Penguin Friend It opens approaching a small fishing community on Ilha Grande. In a real bait-and-switch moment, it centers on teenage Miguel (Juan José Garnica), a happy, curious boy who is looking forward to celebrating his birthday by joining his father Joao on a boat.

When tragedy strikes Suya, it is Miguel who does not return home. Decades later, João and his wife Maria (Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza) still struggle with their grief. Miguel's presence continues in their seaside cottage, where the boy's untouched childhood bedroom stands as a kind of snapshot that João can't quite put down. The film follows the then-unnamed DinDim – a unique and interesting penguin adrift in the ocean, drenched in oil as a result of the spill. without thinking João saves a bird that cannot fly.

Much to Maria's dismay, João insists on healing DinDim, even as the penguin follows the oil all over their house. Concerned about drying off the penguin, João enters Miguel's room, takes his late son's winter hat and cuts it into a sweater for DinDim. At first, Maria can't believe that Joao made the hat ugly, but it gradually dawns on her that DinDim is bringing joy to her husband that he hasn't felt in decades. In the next scene, DinDim walks into Miguel's room – the door is now both literally and metaphorically open.

Schurmann tries to put the audience in DinDim's point of view with a kind of fisheye lens, but it's more distracting than immersive.

Although My Penguin Friend about finding ways to form new bonds even after grief and loss, still offers penguin antics in spades. DinDim punctures bicycle tires, annoys a local dog, and wanders the city to collect things for the nest João has built for him. At times, Schurmann tries to place us in DinDim's perspective with a kind of fisheye lens, but it's more distracting than immersive.

My Penguin Friend's Titular Star Isn't Novel Enough To Help The Movie Stand Out

Reno and Barraza's emotional performances elevate the Homeward Bound-like story

For all its charm, My Penguin Friend animal-people-paint-by-numbers is a pretty cool movie. In recent years, this genre has been dominated by documentaries My Octopus Teacher for Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Storyso it's fun to see a scripted feature that serves as a kind of throwback to Disney's live-action heyday. Still, if you've seen it Weather BudYou know how João's efforts to reintroduce DinDim will go. And if you have seen it HomeboundYou'll have some idea of ​​DinDim's determination to find his way back to João again and again.

The dog's award-winning performance as the penguin star's acting rivaled Messi's Anatomy of a FallIt is the painful bond between João and Maria that forms the true emotional core of the story. Reno and Barraza manage to convey all their unspoken pain with a look or a touch. Needless to say, My Penguin Friend It's packed with stunning coastlines from Brazil and Argentina, as well as inventive water-related sequences.

…it definitely gets the beat up, inviting squirming and phone checking.

My Penguin Friend may not appeal to younger audiences. There's a whole subplot focused on a penguin research team that eats up the runtime without really being all that compelling. It's almost as if the thread is attached to the balloon where the film goes from short to feature. With tight dialogue and awkward silences, the film isn't exactly polished either. While this may not bother younger viewers as much as it bothered me, it certainly affects the pacing and invites squirming and phone checking.

Most of the time the film felt like a tonal mess, though both the heartbreak and the antics certainly serve the spirited animal story genre. Still, I can't help but feel it My Penguin Friend It is not a movie made with children in mind; it's the kind of movie that's open to audiences of all ages. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, but ultimately, My Penguin Friend az DinDim may struggle to find an audience just as he struggles to find his niche.

My Penguin Friend now showing in cinemas across the country.