What does it take for one to speak out against injustice?  It is one thing to feel compelled to do so, it is another to take action.  God created complex creatures in us humans, at the moment of our conception and as the sum of our experiences.  There are those who believe that minding one’s own business is best, and hope that this is, in fact, the outcome.  Others take a more proactive approach.  If there is wrong, it should be dealt with, or so the belief goes.  The through line for all this is God and Faith in Him.  He sustains the more reticent and the fighters, but it requires a relationship with Him, true and vibrant.  Only through Him can difficult times be navigated and rightly discerned.  Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) is not Christian.  Nor could he be called strong, though he takes a certain pride in his willful weakness.  What he does is submit himself to The Penguin Lessons (2024), and this review will show how this all fits.

Actually, it is difficult to imagine how Tom fits anywhere at the beginning of The Penguin Lessons, especially in Argentina in 1976.  The country is in the grips of a military coup, but he has come to teach English at St. George’s College for boys.  To underscore his discomfiture, upon arriving at the school, an explosion goes off in the city behind him.  The institution’s guard immediately think he has something to do with the blast, but he is just scared.  After being introduced to the headmaster, Timothy Buckle (Jonathan Pryce), Tom is shown to his quarters.  Tom’s feeling of unease is furthered when he finds María Alvarez (Vivian El Jeber) in his quarters, cleaning and paying little attention to him.  Between her and other teachers like Tapio (Björn Gustafsson) coming in unannounced, and the fact that he is asked to coach rugby (which he despises), it all makes for an agonizing start to his position.  The students are no help.  Most of them are spoiled children of government officials who behave in a fascist manner similar to their parents.  They also do not listen to his lessons.  As such, when a sudden upswing in violence between the government and the opposition, labeled as “communists” (sound familiar), Headmaster Buckle decides to close the school for a week.  Tom takes this opportunity to visit Uruguay, though he must put up with an insistent Tapio tagging along.  The Scandinavian science teacher only wishes to carry on about his ex-wife, so he misses when two women begin making eye contact with Tom.  Tapio eventually gets the clue.  This leaves Tom to spend the night with Carina (Micaela Breque).  As they stroll the beach in the wee hours of the morning, they come across an oil slick that has washed a number of dead penguins onto the shore.  One of them, though, is alive.  His first instinct is to leave it, not wanting to get involved, but she insists they take it in and care for it.  They bond a little over the flightless bird, which is later named Juan Salvador.  There is a good Catholic name for you, but I digress.  With Juan clean, Tom thinks it is the right moment for romance, but she admits to having a husband.  Though she is about to go home, she will not take Juan with her.  Tom then attempts to bring the penguin back to the sea, but Juan follows the teacher back across the beach.  Next, Tom tries to abandon the animal in his hotel room upon checking out, but must come back for Juan upon forgetting his wallet.  The Uruguayan police will not take Juan, saying they will arrest Tom if the penguin does not go with the teacher.  The same sort of thing happens when Tom returns to Argentina.  In short, he is stuck with a penguin.  At first, he tries to keep the bird a secret, but María and her granddaughter, Sofía Alvarez (Alfonsina Carrocio), cannot help but notice the signs of the bird.  Tom protests that he is trying to get Juan to a zoo, but they will not take the penguin for a few days.  Sofía feels this shows a lack of resolve on his part, which is indicative of the kind of society that has let fascism come to power.  He is apologetic, and later finds her out shopping, taking the opportunity to explain himself further.  As they are saying their goodbyes, she is picked up by men in an unmarked car, thrown in the back, and spirited away.  He watches, unable to act, but goes back to the school to report what has happened to one of their employees, lying about a crowd preventing him from coming to her assistance.  Instead, he begins using Juan in order to silence his students, the only idea he can come up with for pacifying them.  Their interest in the penguin works, and soon his popularity is growing.  Still, the time comes when he is called upon to bring Juan to the local zoo.  María goes with Tom, but the cage in which Juan would be held is too squalid for Tom’s liking.  Instead, they bring Juan to María’s home, which she shares with her grandson and his family.  During the visit, Tom is asked whether he has children, and he reminisces about a teenaged daughter who had died in a drunk driving accident.  It is at this point that he sees not only his own pain, but a connection to what María’s family is experiencing.  As such, he agrees to help her write a letter to the government about Sofía.  Not long thereafter, he notices the same man who had abducted Sofía.  While the man’s daughter is entertained by Juan, Tom politely asks for Sofía to be returned.  Instead, Tom is eventually arrested and beaten.  Headmaster Buckle, who had not been happy with Tom’s teaching, is nonetheless relieved by the English teacher’s release.  Indeed, everyone is happy until Tom finds Juan dead on his balcony towards the end of the school year.  As Tom eulogizes Juan, Sofía is unceremoniously dropped off in front of the school.  The final shot is of her hugging her grandmother as the others watch.

It might sound silly to watch a movie like The Penguin Lessons, a film about an English teacher in Argentina and his pet penguin.  In some ways, it is more whimsical that the animal has a Catholic sounding name.  In a more serious light, what is remarkable about Juan is how people gravitate to him.  Tom finds himself talking to Juan as if he is communicating with a therapist, and Headmaster Buckle and Tapio have similar experiences.  Seeing this reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:27, which states, “. . . God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong.”  Put a different way, Juan is a pure vessel that attracts people’s attention.  The same kind of behavior is how spiritual directors, at least at the school where I learned these skills, approach their directees.  It is a simple thing, but it comes down to listening.  The problem with the political climate in the film, as well as today, is that there is little desire to listen to one another.  Each side has their preconceived notions about the other, though it is usually the one that is in power that is the least inclined to countenance anything that does not fall in line with their views.  There is a narrative those at the levers of government wish to convey, whatever that might be, and all other opinions are considered traitorous.  What is worse, they have the methods to exert control.  Jesus contended with these issues in His day, and analogous powers at that time Crucified Him.  How would one fit Tom into this metaphor?  What should be noted about the Passion story is how His closest disciples fled Him in his moment of need.  The moment, as they say, got too big for them.  Some stayed, like John and Mary and a few others, but many looked at the events unfolding as does Tom.  At the same time, I love the non-violent way he goes about asking for Sofía’s release.  There are many ways of standing up to injustice.  When guided by right, there is no wrong way of doing so.

What would also be wrong is me not recommending The Penguin Lessons.  Such movies are important in difficult times like these.  Even if you are the one more inclined to stay out of struggles, this one can give you some hope.