Released to an eager audience, My Penguin Friend tells the heartwarming story of a man and his enduring bond with a Magellanic penguin. But before it graced the big screen, this touching tale first made headlines in Brazil, where a retired stonemason, João Pereira de Souza, discovered a penguin drenched in oil from a recent spill on Proveta Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
João took the weary penguin home, nursing it back to health with diligent care, including frequent soapy baths and plenty of fish. He named the bird ‘Dindim,’ inspired by the way his son had once tried to say “pinguim” (penguin in Portuguese) as a toddler.
Once Dindim had regained his strength, João released him on an island near Proveta Beach. But to João’s surprise, Dindim returned to his lawn, waiting patiently to be let inside. After spending time with João, Dindim finally departed in February 2012. Yet, something remarkable happened—each year, after the fishing season ended, Dindim would return to visit João instead of joining his fellow penguins on more distant shores.
For eight consecutive years, Dindim would leave in February and return in June, maintaining this incredible bond with João.
Brazilian director David Schurmann adapted this story for the film My Penguin Friend, adding creative touches to the original tale. Kate Erbland of IndieWire described the film as “lovely, lively, and guaranteed to get kids interested in the wild world around them,” encouraging viewers to delve deeper into the real-life story of João and Dindim.
Schurmann, who also serves as director of the Voice of the Oceans Institute, an organization focused on combating marine pollution, sought to subtly incorporate an environmental message into the film, acknowledging that the oil spill was the catalyst for this extraordinary story. He explained that while the film’s primary goal was to offer hope and relief in a challenging world, the environmental angle was essential to the narrative.
The film premiered to mostly positive reviews, earning an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Film critic Christy Lemire awarded it three out of four stars, praising My Penguin Friend for its sincerity: “There’s something radical about the old-fashioned approach of My Penguin Friend. It’s an earnest, crowd-pleasing family film – nothing snarky or self-referential, no on-the-nose needle drops – just a sweet, beautifully made movie that earns the emotion it’ll surely draw from its viewers.”