The Penguin Lessons: Review

I watched The Penguin Lessons free of charge for the purpose of a review

In 1976, Tom Michell took up a post as a teacher in Argentina at a time of political unrest. On a visit to Uruuguay during his stint as a teacher, Tom saw many penguins lying dead on a beach with oil and tar soaked into their feathers. When he saw one of the birds move, he knew he had to help. This is the true story behind the Penguin Lessons. The film came out in the UK on 18th April 2025. I’d heard amazing things about it, so we decided to check it out.

About the Penguin Lessons

The Penguin Lessons is based on the true story of incredible author Tom Michell. He initially published his memoir as a book, and it wasn’t long before it was picked up and made into a film.

Whilst the film doesn’t completely follow real events, the part about finding and adopting an oil-covered penguin in Uruguay whilst teaching in Argentina is true.

In the Penguin Lessons, legendary actor Steve Coogan plays the part of Tom. Coogan’s character is grumpy and disillusioned with life as a result of past trauma. Meeting the penguin, who he calls Juan Salvador, helps him to heal and build relationships with the people around him. This includes Sofia and her grandmother Maria, Tapio the science teacher and the students in his English class, who are quite disruptive until Juan Salvador arrives on the scene.

As well as its focus on Tom Michell’s experience with the penguin, the Penguin Lessons delivers a very profound message about the struggles faced by people living in Argentina at the time. There’s a poignant piece about the 30,000 people who were “disappeared” from the country at the time, and their mothers who organised protests and never stopped looking for them.

The Penguin Lessons Cast

The film centres around Steve Coogan’s character Tom Michel. Other cast members include:

• Jonathan price as Headmaster Buckle
• Alfonsina Carrocio as Sofia
• Vivian El Jaber as Maria (Sofia’s grandmother)
• Bjorn Gustafsson as Tapio (science teacher)
• David Herrero as Digo
• Hugo Fuertes as Ramiro

But of course, the real star of the film was Juan Salvador. Here’s a little video of Steve Cougan chatting with the penguin trainer, Hans Pedersen.

The Penguin Lessons: Review

As mentioned above, this is a really poignant film with plenty of thought-provoking moments. It raised awareness of the political instability faced in 1970s Argentina and the “disappeared” people, as well as the environmental damage that humans inflict on wild creatures like penguins.

True stories and animals are my absolute favourite things in movies, so I was always going to love the Penguin Lessons. That said, even if neither of those things appeal, it’s one of those films that everyone will get drawn into. The characters are incredibly relatable and the varied ages of the protagonists means that it’s a film that appeals to everyone – from school children to adults of all ages.

My only warning is that if you’re watching this as a feel-good film with a happy ending, it’s not going to end the way you hope. Without giving too much away, they don’t all live happily ever after. My 10 year old watched the start of the film with us but we had to stop watching due to other commitments and my husband and I ended up viewing the end without her. Before letting her watch the rest of the film, I did warn her about the sadness at the end and she chose not to watch it.

The Penguin Lessons: FAQs