My Penguin Friend is inspired by a true story.

A young Brazilian fisherman named João lives with his young wife Maria and their young son Miguel in a picturesque fishing village. On his birthday, Miguel asks to go out fishing with this father. The weather is not good, but João can’t say no to his son, and they row out. Soon a storm overtakes them and in the struggle to survive and get back, Miguel drowns. João’s heart is broken. 

The story skips forward several decades, and João and Maria still live in the same house. They are old now, but it appears that they have not touched Miguel’s room. They live in eternal grief with no apparent joy left in their lives. Just the hard work of a fisherman. 

One day, João rescues an injured penguin from an oil slick, brings him home, carefully cleans his coat, and feeds him back to strength. The penguin stays for a while, recovering, and a village girl gives him the name Dindim. Maria is not all that happy about the new pet in her kitchen, but she sees João blossoming with joy about being able to care for an animal that needs help. 

Penguins are migrant birds, and one day Dindim leaves for the south. To everyone’s surprise, and most of all to João’s, Dindim comes back the following winter to stay. And the next winter. João’s life is transformed. He has a penguin friend. 

I found out later on IMDb that 10 rescue penguins portrayed Dindim in the movie. Approximately 80% of the scenes feature real penguins. For the remaining 20%, where real penguins would face safety risks, CGI was used for 15% of the shots, while animatronics accounted for the final 5%.

This is a feel-good movie with a simple message, a little corny at times, but a nice change to the usually Hollywood fare of fast action and superheroes. It’s just about a man and his penguin friend.