Summary
A man, Steve Coogan, living in Argentina finds a new lease on life when he adopts a penguin.
So for the most part I enjoyed this film, if the ending had been different I would likely score it higher, but because this is based on a real life account I don’t think they could do anything about it.
Of course the issue with this film is that for two thirds of the run time it is a mostly life affirming experience about the positive impact animals can have on a person’s life, even during moments of strife such as when the police kidnap a young woman off the street and later arrest Coogan’s character the presence of the penguin makes it all less depressing and a little bit happier.
However, at the end as you can likely imagine the penguin dies and the film becomes depressing. I think this sort of pain can be familiar to anyone who has lost a pet, and it does mean the film ends on a down note which takes away from the broader uplift of it at the end. One could argue artistically that a bitter sweet ending is in itself uplifting as it reflects the power one life, in this case a penguin’s life, can have.
Overall, the film gets you to care deeply about the penguin and you feel that death keenly.
3/5
Pros.
Coogen
The bond between man and penguin
The life affirming moments
Cons
The pacing is off
The ending is depressing
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