Based on a remarkable true story, Penguin Bloom follows a family’s journey coping with the disability of a loved one.
Naomi Watts plays Sam Bloom, a wife and mother to three young boys, avid surfer, and ocean lover. On a family vacation in Thailand, the unthinkable happens when Sam leans on a guardrail that collapses, falls several stories, and breaks her spine. Now back in her Australian seaside home, Sam is confined to a wheelchair, as her photographer husband, Cam (Andrew Lincoln), takes care of her and the kids. One day, their eldest son brings home an injured magpie named Penguin, and the family nurses it back to health while learning to cope with a loved one’s disability.
Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln deliver emotive, weighty portrayals that garner an emotional reaction from the film’s audience. Watts particularly feels authentic as a woman struggling to deal with life as an invalid, losing the ability to do all the things she once loved. Her disability comes with a significant mental toll, which is excellently conveyed by Watts. The anguish and despair that Sam faces daily is felt by her family and the audience with them, making for a visceral viewing experience. Likewise, Lincoln offers a sympathetic performance as a husband trying to keep any semblance of normality in what’s become an unconventional family life.
The arrival of the injured magpie, Penguin, serves as a coping mechanism for each family member as they try and keep the bird safe and healthy, mirroring their efforts with Sam. This aspect of the narrative could be considered somewhat cheesy had the film not been based on a true story, so in the end, it feels even more astonishing that the events of Sam Bloom’s rehabilitation did play out this way. The magpie acting as a glue that binds the family together feels like an idea that can only happen in movies, but in this case, it’s real, and it offers a genuinely hopeful reaction from the audience.
Penguin Bloom is a touching family drama with a story where the truth is stranger than fiction. That being the case, the film could have used a small injection of fiction to make it even more dramatic and emotionally taxing. It feels as though filmmaker Glendyn Ivin has stuck close to the source material without taking any creative liberties, which can often add more to the story for audiences to invest in. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty to get attached to in this one.
Fun Fact:
Director Glendyn Ivin came to attention with the short film Cracker Bag, winning the Palme d’Or in 2003 at the Cannes Film Festival.
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