“The Penguin Lessons” is the true story of ‘Thomas Mitchell,’ played by the remarkable English and Irish actor Steve Coogan. He’s a grieving, burned-out 50-something British High School teacher in Argentina in the year 1976, during a government dictatorship. Tom lives in St. George’s, a boarding school for wealthy children, where he teaches his students English daily. Despite his sadness, he discovers hope and healing through an unexpected friendship with a wounded penguin.
I enjoyed watching this slowly paced film that keeps its secrets until the very end. Believe me, by doing so, we become intrigued and are all the more drawn in by studying Tom’s every nuance. So many questions. Why did he leave England? Why the dour demeanor? Why live in Argentina whilst during a military coup, with tens of thousands of citizens who are taken away and then simply disappear?
Tom’s boss (Jonathan Pryce) is an irritable administrator who wants to keep the revolution outside the school’s walls and away from the male students as they are children of wealthy Argentinians. The job isn’t easy as muffled gunshots can be heard over the walls and the school’s maintenance and cleaning staff, who are locals, arrive daily with reports of new brutalities outside.
As Tom’s first semester at the school ends it appears that he or his students are inspired to learn. In a random moment, he decides to go to Paraguay for a weekend vacation with a co-worker, his science teacher friend Tapio, played by Björn Gustafsson. What seemed like a great start in meeting a lovely woman with whom he’d like to get to know better, turned into her leaving him after they rescued a penguin coated with oil from an offshore spill that was nearly dying. Next, she’s leaving, and he’s stuck with a penguin who won’t stop following him.
The scenes of Tom trying to smuggle the penguin back across the border, then sneaking him into his apartment on the school grounds, and most comical of all finding ways to keep him quiet during the day are madcap and aptly silly. Coogan’s at his best: the poker-faced, uptight Brit struggling to soldier through the most outrageous and sometimes humiliating situations with a dignified stiff upper lip. Obviously, he can only keep his penguin buddy a secret for long, and when he does make an appearance in his everyday life, it’s pure joy.
The film delves into the many subplots, although every time his penguin is on-screen, you can’t help to be amused. Be sure to stay for the ending credits, as you’ll see a 1970s clip of Tom’s penguin swimming in his outdoor pool. I enjoyed this heart-warming film that teaches kindness, empathy, and caring.
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Screenplay: Jeff Pope
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Production
companies |
Intake Films
Rolling Dice 42 Nostromo Pictures Aperture Media Partners |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate (United Kingdom and Ireland) |
Here’s the Hollywood 360 Radio Network Podcast: penguin-lessons-
Sarah Knight Adamson© April 9, 2025