The Penguin Lessons

Sincere but too sleepy BBC Drama

Based on the real story of Tom Michell, who accidentally adopts a penguin while teaching in Argentina in 1976, The Penguin Lessons tells a remarkable story of the power of a flightless bird and its ability to create light in a time of darkness.

Headed by Steve Coogan as the dry, apathetic Michell, the film tells a tale of a man teaching English in a boys' boarding school whilst trying to hide a penguin who has chosen him to be his primary mate, all set during the 1976 Argentinian coup.

As Michell and the penguin get up to hijinks trying to conceal the penguin, albeit terribly, and everyone at the school finds out, Michell’s story is about how, through an animal, people can find peace and unity with each other. Michell is sardonic and blocks himself off from others due to his dark past. This results in him clashing with others in the school, especially the young firebrand cleaner and her talkative grandmother, other teachers, and even the headmaster. However, when they encounter the penguin, named Juan Salvador, any tension or frustration they have with Michell melts away. Juan Salvador inexplicably binds people around him. It is a story of utter goodness. When characters interact with Juan Salvador, they cannot help but divulge their deepest, darkest fears and anxieties to him. Even the pesky pupils are enamoured by him.

This unity is contrasted with the political circumstances that surround the school. As the coup is completed by a military junta, random yet widespread arrests are made across the country. People are removed from the streets and piled into cars. Michell witnesses this as one of the employees of the school is taken right in front of him. He is in complete disbelief at how a government could be so ruthless to its people. The kidnappings don’t appear to have any rhyme or reason, but it is hinted that those who are taken are suspected undesirables for the new government. With no transparency about where they are taken or their welfare, families across the country are at a loss for their loved ones, not knowing if they will ever come back. This plot point shows a clear and dangerous divide between the people and their self-imposed rulers. And this indeed happened. 30,000 civilians were ‘disappeared’ during Jorge Videla’s rule. There is one very powerful scene in which a group of mothers stage a small scale protest in response to the kidnapping of their children, is an ode to The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo group which was group of woman organised in 1977 to demand to know what happened to their children who were ‘disappeared’.

Coogan brings his charm and funny wit, so much so that, without his performance, this film wouldn’t get made or seen. Coogan’s dry, quirky humour helps enliven the story and make it a lot more enjoyable. For instance, in an attempt to get the penguin off his hands, he calls the local zoo to take him, and he threatens to harm the penguin if they don’t take him, similar to a hostage situation. Coogan is so good at bringing a character that can make you laugh for a whole two hours, but also presents a personal darkness that hangs over him. Few comedians can achieve this.

Juan Salvador, the penguin, is a real penguin. This was a brilliant move by the film team because if this had been a puppet or CGI, the film would have been much more expensive and much worse. The real penguin brought a lot more love and sincerity to the film. You can tell the actors are not really acting—they are in awe of the penguin. And for the rest of the film, you can tell that there was great attention to detail in recreating 1970s Argentina. The colour palettes and costumes appeared authentic. The set pieces are of a similar ilk; in particular, there was a fantastic effort to recreate a 1970s zoo. The zoo looked awful. The animals had terrible conditions—plenty of concrete and steel fences. The zoo looked like the prisons that they actually were back in the day.

Overall, The Penguin Lessons is a beautiful film, but it is just a bit too mild. The character development is muted, and the juxtaposition between the sweet penguin story versus the coup hasn’t been developed enough to make us care too much about the outcome. Of course, if this were a made-up story, it would never get off the production ground. Despite the fact that I did enjoy watching it, I won’t be in a hurry to see it again. The Penguin Lessons belongs in a one-hour slot on primetime BBC.

If you are interested in a sweet, lightweight film, this is it.