Penguin Bloom is a surprisingly – if manipulatively – uplifting film and it worked on me, schmaltz and all. Not that it’s too schmaltzy… I think it’s the right amount of honest and genuine peppered in with a little overkill.

The film is about a woman who has recently become paralyzed from the waist down. As an active, adventurous surfer, wife, and mother, she’s pretty down about her condition. The film is about how she and her family come to grips with their new reality… and the symbolic bird that comes to help teach her valuable life lessons? Or at least be adorable while people say on-the-nose things about its symbolism!

Naomi Watts plays the lead and she’s pretty great… but that’s pretty typical of her now, isn’t it? Andrew Lincoln – who I have seen since he shot his last zombie – plays the husband with an Australian accent (instead of his real British or put-on Southern accent). A bird – the titular Penguin Bloom – plays itself and I was very happy they didn’t CGI up a bunch of 1s and 0s to play a magpie. And it’s a pretty good acting gig (if that’s the right word) for an apparently well-trained bird. Nice job, bird wranglers.

About the only real issue with the flick is some of the dialog surrounding the bird. I’m ok with the idea the bird as a symbolic representation of the woman’s wings being clipped. It’s a little on-the-nose but I can’t argue if that’s what happened in reality (it’s based on a true story). But they have to hammer it home with some obvious dialog like, “it must be weird to have wings but not be able to fly”. Yes, we get it. She can’t walk or surf any longer. Thanks for putting that nail in the subtle metaphor’s coffin.

But otherwise, I think the film is quite genuine and honestly heartfelt. I was invested in the characters and wished them well. And I especially liked the low amount of drama and the lack of some great big Hollywood traumatic third act. I enjoyed this film.

Score: 84