Penguin Bloom (dir. Glendyn Ivin), 2021

On my third (maybe fourth) viewing of Penguin Bloom, the result of needing a warm comfort film on a cold and rainy January morning, I found a slight shift in my own perspective. Released on Netflix roughly a year ago at the start of 2021, quickly relegated off the home page and into forgotten obscurity, Penguin Bloom preceded a year unfortunately dominated by stale, often poorly made biopics. Upon most recent review, I confidently can say Penguin Bloom may be the best biopic film of the past year (that I have seen, at least), far surpassing many cropping up in year end best-of lists.

Penguin Bloom is a feel-good biopic following the life of Sam Bloom, a wife and mother who suffers a tragic accident on holiday in Thailand rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. Based on the novel of the same name, written by husband Cameron Bloom, the film chronicles the emotional turbulence Sam experiences, sifting through depression and self-loathing, until a wounded magpie (the titular Penguin) is taken in by the Bloom family. Penguin not only is able to provide solace to the family, but unearth internalized resentment, blame, and guilt which silently have plagued the Blooms.

The film never quite exceeds the aforementioned moniker of "feel-good biopic" but there is no need to do so. Produced and led by Naomi Watts, who plays the varied emotional chords of Sam Bloom with such authenticity and realism, Penguin Bloom is a heightened version of this moniker by design. In an early scene, Sam and Cameron are awoken by the scream of a child and Cameron runs off to help. Sam, unable to move, lays in bed unsure of what is wrong with no ability to aid her son. Watts' subtle fears and frustration are visible, bringing weight to a scene which may have inconsequently passed by with a less capable actress. The supporting cast offers added emotional depth as well: Jacki Weaver as Sam's well meaning, but often insensitive, mother and Rachel King as Gaye, a kayak instructor who offers Sam a new outlet and friendship after her accident.

In the end, Penguin Bloom is a small and perhaps simple film which hits familiar notes. Yet, it feels so carefully crafted and a labor of love from those who made the film. This labor is evident among the onscreen chemistry and technical elements. So, in the year of the biopic, Penguin Bloom certainly deserves better recognition among its contemporaries...

Rating: 7/10