‘The Penguin Lessons’ review: Sweetness of the usual feather

The unique relationship between animals and people is an area that is often mined for cinematic fodder; The evolution of “Penguins’ lessons”, based on the 2015 notes written by Tom Michelle, in the exotic of both animals and preparation, although the message that was already transferred is already familiar. It was adapted to the screen by the screenwriter Jeff Bob, “The Lost King”) and directed by Peter Katano (“The Full Mony”), the creative team behind the film is good knowledge of presenting human interest stories with a gentle and gentle correspondence – and a distinctive British feeling of subconscious.

When Tom (Steve Cogan) arrives at Buenos Aires to teach English for distinguished teenage children at St. George College, on the eve of the military coup in 1976, which he takes with a step with a harsh upper lip and a healthy dose of mockery. We do not know much about him except that he is only interested in maintaining his head and getting out of trouble. He has no great interest in his students, the horrific political situation, or even friendships. On a bus to Uruguay to spend the weekend to avoid the coup, the Finnish colleague Tom Tabo (Bjorn Gustaveron) says he loves his new friend Tom, who sighs, replies, “You do not do that?”

It is on this fateful trip to Punta del Ste that Tom’s life begins to change, after spending a night outside with a mysterious woman (Michael Break). They roam the beach at sunrise, discover an oil spot set using the bodies of the penguin. One of his new acquaintances convinces him of taking one of the remaining birds to his hotel in an attempt to save him, then leaves him with a clean penguin now. As he might abandon his feathers, the penguin will not leave him on his own, so Tom evades the bird to Argentina and to his apartment on the campus, mostly because no one wants to deal with the bonding penguin.

The story of the intimate animals and the usual humor is revealed, as the penguin – ultimately called Juan Salvador – comes out of his angry and bored presence. Caring, feeding and hiding this creature forces him to open up to those around him, such as Maria (Vivian Al -Jaber), the university campus of cooking and hygiene, and its granddaughter Sofia (Alfonsina Carusio), a radical Levity urges Tom to play a more active role in his policy but as a member of society. “I expect bad people to do bad things,” she says. “But when good people do nothing, I can serve them in their face.”

Juan Salvador also becomes Tom’s path to interconnected with his unbridled students, wandering in their scattered attention with the unusual animal (and wonderful). He finds inspiration to teach them radical poetry quietly, which raises the anger of the school principal (Jonathan Price). The small penguin becomes a kind of amulet, which is a very nice creature for them to gather around and a type of type.

Juan Salvador Tom is forced to communicate with others, and through this, he finds the backbone of him, and supports his new friends while they bear the troubled and terrifying times of the military dictatorship in Argentina. Cattaneo and Pope managed to balance the fascist historical photography tone with a charming animal story and their secret weapon is Coogan. Its dry connection makes it so that the acid is never sharp and the emotional is never a drink. Even in moments of deep sadness, it will break a sad joke, and when the pressure of Tom is allowed, we see the effort that this man requires to come out with his neck.

“Penguins’ lessons” is a somewhat formula – it strikes the rhythms you expect, exactly when you expect to strike them – but it is an exciting spinning, making everything better on the basis of a true story. Fortunately, Cattaneo chose to throw a real bird (in fact a pair of them). Thinking about Cogan behaves against the CGI penguin is a chill.

We may not need to recall that our personal relationships with animals are some of the most distinctive and rewarding factors that we can enjoy as human beings, but “penguins lessons” also confirm that our relationships with people are more important and that animals are sometimes the best rulers for this particular journey. Juan Salvador is definitely one of the most unforgettable ones.

Katie Walsh is a critic of the Tribune news service.