Coogan’s Penguin Fascism Film: A Hilarious & Heartbreaking Tale

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In an interview with Variety, Steve Coogan pointed out that it’s not common to find penguins in films dealing with human rights violations, and he’s correct. The movie “The Penguin Lessons” is like a high-wire act; it’s a delicate balance the film maintains. Set during Isabel Perón’s right-wing government in Argentina before the military junta and the Dirty War, the story follows Tom Michel, a teacher at a boarding school. The discovery of an oil-covered penguin triggers changes not only for him but also for his school. The movie is reminiscent of both “Happy Feet” and “Life Is Beautiful,” with Coogan’s captivating performance anchoring it. Coogan and director Peter Cattaneo discussed the unique tone and the role of the penguins in an interview with MovieWeb.

In the book, the political situation was subtly present in the background. However, we decided to emphasize it and make it a more integral part of the story. I felt it was important to address it because ignoring it would have been neglecting our duty, but at the same time, it presented a challenge due to the complexity of the topic. Nobody wants another film about penguin politics, as we’ve had enough of those. However, this also provided an opportunity, since it made the story stand out in a unique way. Coogan further added:

In one aspect, striking the right tone proved challenging. This is where Peter stepped in to help find the perfect balance. We even attempted multiple takes, varying the emphasis, giving him a broad range of options during editing. To me, this predicament offered a unique chance because the penguin character lightens the heavy atmosphere when discussing serious matters, preventing the film from feeling too bland or monotonous. On the contrary, the dark theme of fascism keeps the penguin from appearing overly cute.

An essential aspect of the movie is that Steve Coogan’s character deviates from being overly affectionate or endearing. This departure from the original book character is one of the significant alterations in Cattaneo’s film, as Tom is portrayed as older and markedly more cynical than he was in real life. As Coogan put it, “Tom was too nice; Tom still exists.” The choice was made to make the character more cynical, with a darker edge and self-centered tendencies, even going so far as to dislike penguins, other animals, and children – yes, children, including those he teaches. After all, not every teacher cherishes children, and we all know that, don’t we? Coogan further explained.

In our narrative, we chose to distance the character from Tom, which brought him immense joy since it set up an exciting journey for his character. This journey serves as a continuous theme throughout the story, charting Tom Michel’s transformation from disillusionment to re-engagement with the world. The penguin acts as the catalyst that shatters his cynicism and encourages him to embrace kindness. This realization underscores the importance of acknowledging and interacting with one’s surroundings, even if changing the larger world isn’t possible, by ensuring our actions in our immediate environment aren’t hurtful.

Finding Zen Among the Penguins

In a simple and conversational manner: Finding a suitable co-star for “The Penguin Lessons” movie required patience (and faith), as penguins can be rather smelly yet endearing creatures. The leading penguon role was filled by Richard, while Baba appeared in some scenes, and a nifty robot made an appearance only during specific instances.

Director Peter Cattaneo shared that he was presented with Richard, Baba as a backup, and three additional penguins in still images. He mentioned that Richard would be used frequently, while Baba served as a standby. The others were for specific scenes. He said, “These photos were of one tall, thin penguin, another small, squat, fat penguin, a medium-sized one, and a particularly joyful-looking one. One looked quite sad. I thought to myself, ‘You’re in charge of filming animals? Haven’t you ever done this before? They need to edit these together!'” He went on to say:

They mentioned that penguins have an elongated spine structure, which allows for some variation in height as seen in the movie. This flexibility enabled us to switch between penguin characters seamlessly, making them appear identical. However, Richard was particularly calm and understanding, while Steve formed a strong connection with him. Therefore, Richard became our main character, and the others would step in when needed or for different scenes.

Which of the penguins was more challenging to collaborate with? Was one of them high-maintenance? “Yes, Baba definitely was,” confirmed Coogan. “Richard occasionally displayed diva-like behavior; if he was in a bad mood in the morning, he might give me a quick peck. However, I didn’t mind this because I felt it required extra effort. I had to work harder to gain his affection, which I managed. You learn to be patient with them. You can’t get upset at a penguin for not complying, so you simply adapt your work around the penguin.” Coogan added:

The vibe on set was surprisingly serene, as we learned to go with the flow, allowing the penguin to guide us in certain aspects. We were always prepared for when it took an action we could utilize, and ready to adapt our actions around the penguin, since it might not provide the ideal response every time.

The Penguin Lessons is now in theaters from Focus Features.

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2025-03-29 05:04