37/47
Starring Oscar nominee Steve Coogan, this poignant drama from director Peter Catanu follows the personal and political awakening of an Englishman after he adopts a penguin during a cataclysmic period in Argentine history. “I was young and idealistic,” says Tom, a young boarding school teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1976, “but I soon realized that reality was different.” Outspoken, hedonistic, and unsentimental, Tom is not moved by stories or facts of grief. He makes excuses for his own shortcomings and incompetence. But when penguins covered in industrial oil wash up on a beach and fascists seize power in a coup, Tom is about to wake up, despite himself. Steve Coogan (Tom) and Jonathan Pryce star in this true story of wit, warmth, and counterintuition. Discovery, humor, drama, and the penguins’ sweet antics. The dialogue, characters, story, and acting have real depth. Penguin Lessons was filmed in Spain with an Argentine cast. Many of the actors lived through the recent dictatorship in Argentina and lend authenticity to the story. At the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was deeply moved by the realization that just one person, a penguin, can make a big difference in a world faced with such evil and tragedy. Rise like lions, then sleep. In vast numbers. Shake your chains to the ground like dew that has fallen on you in your sleep. You are many, they are few. – Shelley.