Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

My Penguin Friend

My Penguin Friend




Rated PG - for thematic elements.
Director: David Schurmann
Starring: Jean Reno, Adriana Barraza, Alexia Moyano, Nicolás Francella
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: August 16, 2024
4K UHD Digital Release Date: October 1, 2024 (Prime Video)


READER RATING:   


Plot Summary

Inspired by a true story; an enchanting adventure about a lost penguin rescued from an oil spill, who transforms the life of a heartbroken fisherman. They soon become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them. (from IMDB)


Film Review

My Penguin Friend is a modest little indie film with quality and artful production elements. The movie is based on a true story of a man in Brazil who rescues a wild penguin, nurses it back to health, and finds it to be a special friend for himself and even the people in his village. French actor Jean Reno (the first Mission: Impossible movie, the Steve Martin Pink Panther films) plays the main character, Joao, and gives a solid performance that makes this humble little movie work.

My Penguin Friend
When My Penguin Friend opens, the story follows a young Brazilian boy named Miguel on the eve of his birthday as he receives a gift from a young girl in his village. The next sequence takes place early in the morning of his birthday, as he begs his fisherman father to take him out on the water with him in his small row boat. As a storm looms, the father suggests turning back, but Miguel pushes to stay out. The storm suddenly rocks their boat, sending Miguel overboard where he accidentally hits his head on the underside of the boat and sinks under the water. The scene transitions to the father, now older and played by Reno, in a row boat alone on the sea. The film then cuts quietly to a colony of penguins as they leave their nests to migrate through the water. A lone penguin is soon singled out, so we know just who our titular "penguin friend" will be, as he finds himself separated from the colony and in trouble. A visibly weary and broken Joao then finds the lifeless body of the penguin floating in the waterline of the beach, and he proceeds to clean up the little guy and help him build up his strength before being released back into the wild. It really isn't until Joao and the penguin connect that the movie comes to life. To be honest, the opening of the film threw me a bit, because it seemed like Miguel was the main character, and I wasn't seeing how this had much to do with a penguin. Then, after his death, it feels more like a nature documentary when we are introduced to the penguin colony, especially since it's kind of unclear at first what we're supposed to be focusing on. I felt, pretty quickly, that a voiceover from Jean Reno telling his backstory with Miguel, and then a little knowledge about the penguin migration, could have really pulled it all together better, and had us connecting with Joao immediately.

My Penguin Friend
But as the little penguin becomes part of the family and wins the heart of the village, he's given the name DinDim by a young girl, and it makes the little guy feel all that more engaging. Director David Schurmann even gives us a literal bird's-eye-view from DinDim's perspective at times, showing us life from a penguin's first-person perspective. It's interesting, and he doesn't overuse it, and I felt it kind of added a little extra to us becoming part of DinDim's journey.

The movie is about as squeaky clean as movies can come these days. There's no profanity or even harsh speaking. There is no sexual content. And there isn't even any violence between people or animals. However, it's Miguel's tragic death that earns this movie a PG rating, as it is a shocking turn of events. I can imagine many viewers will be surprised at such a dark turn for the story so early on. I get that it's present to show a more rounded view of Joao as a person and character, but that doesn't make it any easier to witness. I'd imagine that the scene, although without blood or anything graphic shown, could still be disturbing or unsettling to especially young viewers (particularly because it's a child who dies by drowning), so I would definitely keep that in mind before deciding to sit down with the family to watch this one. The only other visual content some might consider gruesome would be when the camera focuses on a fisherman cutting open fish at two different times, briefly showing us the fish's gooey, rotten guts. (I found it pretty gross myself.)

My Penguin Friend
Otherwise, My Penguin Friend is a pretty heartwarming story. There is a little tension when some scientists want to take and study DinDim, and then the little penguin has a dangerous solo journey across rough terrain at one point (and Joao fears the worst), but everything else is pretty sweet and upbeat. It also adds to the film that a real penguin was used throughout the movie. Where some modern films opt for computer animation to accomplish all the things they want to do with an animal, this movie uses a real penguin in almost every scene, which makes it feel that much more real and tangible. There are a couple moments where it's obvious a digital version of a penguin was used for dangerous sequences, but given the perilous nature of such moments, it's entirely understandable why they chose that route.

If you love penguins or stories based on true events, My Penguin Friend is right up your alley. It's cute, sweet, and heartwarming. There are certainly some tough, emotional moments (especially with the unexpected death of a child in the beginning), but knowing that ahead of time can possibly prepare some viewers a little better for it. If you're not patient enough to watch a slow-moving, mostly serene drama, then My Penguin Friend is one you'll want to skip, but for everyone else, My Penguin Friend is an enjoyable little film.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 10/4/24)

 

 

4K UHD Review


My Penguin Friend is available now at digital retailers. The 4K presentation is really impressive, and it adds to how the detail, clarity, and color translate to screen. With so much of the movie being shot on location, the nature footage looks truly beautiful in 4K.

The "Fandango At Home" digital copy comes with two little bonus features:

A Global Story (3:16) - This one talks about My Penguin Friend being a true story, and how it was filmed on location.

A Penguin POV (2:01) focuses on working with several different penguins to round out the personality of DinDim, and how each penguin they used was good at doing something different.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 10/4/24)

 

Parental Guide: Content Summary


. Sex/Nudity: None.
. Vulgarity/Language: None.
. Alcohol/Drugs: None.
. Blood/Gore: In one scene, a fisherman cuts open some real fish and we see some fish guts. One of the fishermen comments on them being "bad" (or spoiled), which explains how gross it actually looks.
. Violence: A boy begs his fisherman father to take him out on the water with him in his small row boat. As a storm approaches, the father suggests turning back, but the boy insists on staying out on the water. The storm suddenly rocks their boat, sending the young boy overboard where he accidentally hits his head on the underside of the boat and sinks under the water, dying; DinDim tries to climb down a cliffside but slips, falls, and tumbles to the ground where he passes out. (This is obviously an animated penguin during this sequence, not a real one).

 

Disclaimer: All reviews are based solely on the opinions of the reviewer. Most reviews are rated on how the reviewer enjoyed the film overall, not exclusively on content. However, if the content really affects the reviewer's opinion and experience of the film, it will definitely affect the reviewer's overall rating.

To find out why we don't typically review R-rated movies, click here

 

 

go to main Movie review page
go to Video and DVD review archive

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Empowered SALT - EP (independent)
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Joe L Barnes Good Shepherd (Studio Version) - Single [Provident]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
CXMMXNS Trust and Obey (feat. CAIN) - Single [Provident]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Matt Maher Wait (Radio Version) - Single [Provident]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Rave Jesus Runnin' - Single [Provident]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
Michael W. Smith Your Love Is A Flood - Single [The Fuel]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images