My Penguin Friend movie is based on a real-life story from Brazil. A few years ago, we saw a heartwarming video about the unique friendship between a man and a wild penguin.
So, this 2024 Brazilian-American family drama movie explores the unbelievable bond between the elderly man João Pereira de Souza and Dindim the wild penguin.
“My Penguin Friend”- Based On A True Tale, It Is An Uplifting Film About Empathy, Compassion, Kindness, Friendship & More
Spoiler Free Review: My Penguin Friend (2024/Brazil) Movie
The trailer
The synopsis
Drawing inspiration from a remarkable true story, this captivating adventure narrates the journey of a small penguin who, after being saved from an oil spill, profoundly changes the life of a sorrowful Brazilian fisherman João Pereira de Souza (Jean Reno). The bond formed between the penguin and the fisherman is so strong that not even the expansive ocean can separate them.
The inspiration came from the true tale from Brazil
In the year 2011, Joao Pereira de Souza, who was 71 years old at the time, found a South American Magellanic penguin on a beach on an island near Rio de Janeiro. Notably, the oil-covered and malnourished penguin was in a dire state. Under those circumstances, this encounter led to an extraordinary friendship. Since their first meeting, the penguin, which typically breeds along the shores of Patagonia in Argentina and Chile—three to five thousand miles away—has become a steadfast companion.
Each year, it swims from its natural habitat to live with the retired fisherman for as long as eight months in his island residence. Thereafter rescuing Dindim the penguin from the beach and nurturing it back to health, Joao Pereira de Souza became convinced that it had formed a bond with him. For a week, he carefully washed the penguin’s oil-laden feathers in the shower and fed it a healthy diet of fish to restore its vitality before returning it to the ocean.
A real-life friendship between a penguin and Joao Pereira de Souza
71-year-old Joao Pereira saves the penguin from starving and oil-covered, leading to the penguin visiting him every year. Significantly, the heartwarming bond between Pereira and the penguin is a testament to their unique connection and the kindness that Pereira showed to the penguin in his time of need. Moreover, the video of their unique friendship went viral on social media.
We liked the performances of the lead pair and the penguins
The lovely lead pair of Jean Reno (João) and Adriana Barraza (Maria) played their fascinating roles to perfection. We were pleasantly surprised to see French actor Jean Reno portraying the protagonist in this emotional drama. He has played the role of the heartbroken João with a lot of empathy and compassion. Playing his wife and life partner, the Mexican actress Adriana Barraza was equally good, if not better. Many of their scenes were with the Penguin, and they nailed those emotional and heartwarming scenes. We loved their small but complete family.
Dindim was depicted by a group of ten rescue penguins hailing from Ubatuba, Brazil. The production features 80 percent of its shots with genuine penguins. In the remaining 20 percent, where the safety of live penguins was a concern, 15 percent of the footage was generated through CGI, and 5 percent was crafted using animatronics.
All penguins are duly credited in the film.
All the penguins (actors) looked adorable. They are indeed a smart and intelligent species. In addition, the rest of the ensemble cast from South America was good too.
Key details
| Genre | Family, Drama |
| Original Langauge | English |
| Duration | 1 hour 37 minutes |
| Writers | Kristen Lazarian & Paulina Lagudi Ulrich |
| Director | David Schurmann |
| Cast | Jean Reno (João), Adriana Barraza (Maria), Alexia Moyano (Adriana), Nicolás Francella (Carlos), Duda Galvão (Lucia), Pedro Urizzi (Young João), etc. |
| Award | Adriana Barraza – 2024 Winner Actress Award for Film Latino Cinema & Television – Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television |
| Taglines | Inspired by the true story of an extraordinary friendship. |
| Production Companies | City Hill Arts, Content Studios, Schurmann Filmes |
| Distributor | Roadside Attractions |
The poster
The conclusion
My Penguin Friend is a fun, entertaining, uplifting and inspirational movie. If you wish to watch a family-friendly movie along with kids, then we highly recommend this film.
Featured Image – João Pereira de Souza (Jean Reno) & Dindim the wild penguin.
Poster & Featured Image of My Penguin Friend (2024-Brazil) Movie | Pictures Credit:- Roadside Attractions