Last night we went to see The Penguin Lessons starring Steve Coogan. Based on the coming attractions I thought it would be a feel good movie, but it was actually bittersweet. The movie was based on a real life story about an English professor in Argentina that accidentally got saddled with taking care of a penguin. That storyline is hilarious and charming but it plays out against the background of a military coup in 1976 so for every awwww the penguin is bringing out the best in everyone there is also something tragic.

In a way it’s reminiscent of what’s going on the the USA right now only on a grander scale. People are being snatched off the street and held in undisclosed locations with no due process only instead of a few hundred people its thousands. I’m hoping that viscerally experiencing the oppression in a different country might make viewers recognize how wrong it is when they see it playing out at home.

I think every adult should give this movie a try. It’s very well made, and a spoonful of penguin helps the medicine go down.