• Release year: 2024
• Director: Peter Cattaneo.
• Producers: Rory Aitken, Adrián Guerra, Andrew Noble, Ben Pugh, and Robert Walak.
• Screenplay by: Jeff Pope.
• Cinematography by: Xavi Giménez.
• Music by: Federico Jusid.

Shotgun Commentary: Dead Poets Society (1989) meets I’m Still Here (2024). But way less dramatic. And with a penguin.

Review

The Penguin Lessons is a fascinating film inspired by real events. In it, a grumpy English teacher takes a post in an Argentinian school for rich kids in 1976, right when the military coup takes place. The feature combines comedy and dramatic historical facts beautifully into a work of art definitely worth watching.

Bittersweet realities

At first, the story seems to be about a man with no will to live but a great sense of humour who is stuck teaching a group of young, entitled men who could not care less about his class. The melancholic spirit of the comedy, as well as the warm tones that reign on screen, bring the experience close to the one you would have while watching a Wes Anderson movie.

The protagonist lives through dire circumstances and tries to stay away from trouble until it is unavoidable, never forgetting his English manners and dry humour. You guessed it, very much like Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), but without the fanciful outfits.

Much alike the Anderson feature or I’m Still Here, The Penguin Lessons brings up the question of doing nothing in the face of injustice and the consequences that can have, both mentally and physically. Furthermore, it even delves on the idea of class imbalance and how ridiculously minuscule the difference between life and death can be. When danger is tied to where you were born rather than on your acts, it becomes clear that the society you live in is profoundly sick. This disease was previously explored in La Haine (1995), which also poses questions around authority and double standard.

Digging deep

As briefly explained, the depth of the narrative goes way further than a mere penguin in a school. This bit is fun and definitely makes the movie stand out, but the animal is barely the surface of the message. The real voice of the film is shared between two characters: the protagonist, Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) and Maria (Vivian El Jaber).

Tom, as mentioned, is a British teacher who has lost all faith in life. He firmly believes in keeping your head down and your mouth shut… Until he doesn’t. The evolution of this character would not be as powerful and emotional as it is without Coogan, a man that manages to make you believe any role he is in, from cynic teacher to miniature Roman soldier.

The main event

Vivan El Jaber provides the perfect balance to Tom Mitchell with Maria, the woman who cleans at the school. Maria is a wise old lady who works at the school with her granddaughter. While she is mostly shown cleaning, she undertakes several housekeeping chores around the school. The depiction of her role in the premises is almost as dismissive as the other characters are with her efforts, but her character is properly highlighted in other areas more relevant to the story.

The lack of appreciation for carers and housekeepers could be a movie on its own, but this is not that movie. In this film, the most important part of Maria’s personality is her fierce love for her family. She is old enough to know not to take action when you have something to lose, but she is also loving and caring enough to throw away all precaution when the situation demands it.

El Jaber’s performance is absolutely stunning. She manages to make great actors like Coogan or Jonathan Pryce, who plays the school’s headmaster, look small in comparison to her power and intensity.

All in all, The Penguin Lessons is a film that will make you laugh and very likely cry. It provides the perfect balance of tragicomedy, delivered by incredible talents both in front and behind the cameras. If you like your comedies with a side of tears, or your dramas with some laughs sprinkled on top, this is the movie for you.

Thanks to Lionsgate for big-screen access! The Penguin Lessons will be released the 18th of April.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Sometimes a timely penguin can make up for your lack of drive.
• Speaking out against injustice can get you killed. Then again, so can a million things in life. Including any authoritarian force’s whim, so why not speak out anyway?
• Don’t enter long-term commitments just to impress someone. Much less if you literally just met them.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Penguin Lessons? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀