Is The Penguin Lessons based on a true story? Explained
The Penguin Lessons (2024) is a drama-comedy film based on a true story of an English teacher in Argentina and his bizarre bond with a rescued penguin. The film is written by Jeff Pope and directed by Peter Cattaneo, based on the memoir by Tom Michell detailing how, in the 1970s, he had rescued and raised a penguin in his life.
Featuring Steve Coogan in the starring role, the film has drawn significant attention from viewers interested in uplifting tales of human-animal companionship.
The movie premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was then released in the US on March 28, 2025, by Sony Pictures Classics. The UK and Ireland release follows on April 18, 2025, from Lionsgate UK.
Principally shot in Spain, the movie maintains the humor and pathos of Michell's incredible adventure, giving audiences an entertaining mix of adventure, discovery, and emotional drama.
Exploring in detail the origins of The Penguin Lessons
The Penguin Lessons is true, the film is based on The Penguin Lessons: What I Learned from a Remarkable Bird, which is a 2015 memoir by Tom Michell. In the book, Michell narrates his real experience as a British teacher in Argentina during the late 1970s.
While on vacation in Uruguay, he chanced upon an oil-soaked beach, where he spotted a lone surviving penguin amidst the wreckage. Moved by the sight, he decided to rescue the bird and eventually smuggle it back into Argentina.
The penguin, later named Juan Salvador, formed an improbable, deep bond with Michell and became a part of his life at the boarding school where he taught.
Juan Salvador, as related in the memoir, played a unique role in shaping Michell and his students, teaching them unexpected lessons in friendship, persistence, and even education.
While some of the facts were dramatized or fictionalized for movie-making, the core tale is real.
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The Penguin Lessons plot and cast details
The Penguin Lessons is about Tom Michell, an Englishman who gets a job teaching at a boarding school in Argentina during a period of political instability in the 1970s.
Disillusioned with his career and feeling lost, he embarks on a trip to Uruguay, where he finds an oil-slick beach covered with dead penguins. Amidst the devastation, he manages to save one penguin that is still alive.
Reluctant at first, he finally saves the bird, bathes it, and attempts to release it again. But the penguin won't leave his side, and Michell has no choice but to make a spur-of-the-moment decision - to bring the bird home with him.
As Michell deals with the intricacies of smuggling a penguin into a school with pet-free policies, Juan Salvador transcends the role of mere animal friend. The bird by chance affects the students, making them understand poetry and literature in a way they never did before.
The penguin also contributes to a change in the headmaster's perspective regarding political participation by the school, causing unintended repercussions. The author himself also finds himself changed, overcoming his past experiences and finding a new reason for living, through his connection with Juan Salvador.
Though the film is generally light in tone, it also touches upon deeper issues of redemption, courage, and how life can alter in a drastic manner through a simple act of kindness.
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Steve Coogan plays the lead role of Tom Michell, infusing the role of the reluctant yet empathetic teacher with his characteristic wit and depth. Jonathan Pryce is cast as the headmaster, whose outlook changes through the influence of Juan Salvador.
Alfonsina Carrocio is Sofia, and Vivian El Jaber, Björn Gustafsson, and David Herrero round out the supporting cast.
Interested viewers can watch The Penguin Lessons on Apple TV+.
