Steve Coogan? A penguin? It sounded like the kind of silly British comedy I'd watch on a lazy Sunday and forget about, but I was so wrong…
This autobiography follows Tom Michell, a sad British teacher working at a fancy boys' school in Argentina in 1976. The country is run by cruel military leaders who make people disappear if they speak out against the government. Everyone lives in fear. This dark period lasted from 1976 to 1983. On a trip to nearby Uruguay, Tom finds a penguin covered in oil, barely alive on a beach full of dead birds. He cleans the oil off and tries to let it go, but the penguin won't leave him. So he sneaks it back to school and names it Juan Salvador.
What starts as saving one bird, becomes something much bigger. The penguin doesn't just live at the school, he becomes part of everyone's life. Juan Salvador walks into classrooms, listens when people talk, makes friends with lonely students, and somehow gives everyone hope. Through this strange friendship, Tom starts dealing with his own terrible past, especially losing his daughter in a car crash caused by a drunk driver.
The smart thing about this movie is how it mixes funny moments with really sad ones. Yes, you'll laugh watching a penguin play rugby or accidentally join a street protest. But these happy parts happen alongside scenes of teachers vanishing in the night and mothers crying for their missing children who were taken by the government. It somehow works because that's how real life is, we find good things even when everything else is falling apart.
Steve Coogan gives his best performance ever. I've always known him as that funny TV character Alan Partridge, but this is completely different. The movie makers made Tom older than he really was, to match Coogan's age, creating a character who isn't young and hopeful but broken and middle-aged, carrying huge sadness. Watching him slowly open up, first to the penguin, then to his students, and finally to himself is amazing acting. There's a scene where he reads a sad poem which is really heart breaking.
Juan Salvador himself is incredible. The director used real penguins for most scenes, and you can tell the difference. This isn't just a cute animal, Juan becomes a real character with his own personality. In a world where talking against the government could get you killed, the penguin becomes a way for people to show feelings they can't express. He's there when students cry, when Tom faces his pain, when everyone needs something to believe in. It sounds crazy, but watching it feels magical.
The background story about Argentina's bad government makes this more than just another "person and pet" movie. The film shows what was really happening – people being taken away, the fear everyone felt, mothers walking in circles in the town square, holding pictures of their missing children who were probably killed by soldiers. This creates tension that makes every happy moment feel special and fragile. When Juan Salvador accidentally becomes a symbol of fighting back, after he escapes to a protest, it's both weird and really touching.
Juan Salvador's death scene is so gentle and respectful. The penguin quietly slips away, after swimming in the pool one last time, peacefully dying as if he knew it was his time. But finding his secret stash of small objects behind the sink – things that reminded him of every person he touched, completely broke me. This penguin was quietly collecting memories of human connections.
The movie doesn't end with death though. It shows how Juan's impact spreads out, how Tom finds courage to stand up for what's right, how the students remember the lessons about kindness and bravery. It's heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. The ending scenes include real video of the actual Juan Salvador.
The Penguin Lessons comes out when the world feels more dark and divided than ever. It reminds us that small acts of kindness can change everything. It's about finding family in weird places and healing through friendship, even when that friend is a bird that can't fly.
What makes this even more amazing is that this is a true story - the real Tom Michell wrote a memoir about his actual experiences as an English teacher in Argentina in the early 1970s. The penguin Juan Salvador is real too. Thankfully, the dark period was over, Argentina returned to democracy and today is a free country where people can speak their minds without the fear of disappearing.
This is movie is not flashy or made for social media attention. It's a quiet, thoughtful look at what it means to heal, hope, and find meaning in strange places. I expected a cute animal movie and left with something that's stuck with me for days. It earns its emotional moments, never trying to trick you.
The camera work shows Argentina as both beautiful and scary, perfectly showing the story's mixed feelings. The music is subtle but works well, never drowning out the emotional parts. The work with the real penguins looks seamless and natural. Jonathan Pryce is great as the school's strict headmaster who changes into someone genuinely different because of Juan's presence.
It trusts that you'll connect with its simple but deep truth: sometimes the most important lessons come from the most unexpected teachers.
Watch on Apple TV