The Pelican Lessons

The Pelican Lessons is a timely movie set in 1976 Argentina. Why is it timely? In 1976, Argentina lost their democracy to a tyrant – sound familiar. General Jorge Rafael Videla held power until 1983, “disappearing” (i.e., torturing and killing) 30,000 liberals who did not agree with him. The tyrant goes to jail following his 1983 defeat.  “The Pelican Teacher” uses a metaphor of a pelican to symbolize truth, redemption, and resistance. The film never refers to the tyrant but the unraveling of society happens in the background. Knowing the history of Argentina makes the film easier to understand and appreciate. The photo below has nothing to do with the movie, just an image symbolizing oppession and tryanny.

Amid this backdrop, a depressed and disillusioned British teacher Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) rescues an oil-soaked penguin in Uruguay and smuggles it into the elite boarding school near Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he teaches. At first the penguin – named Juan Salvador – is the comic relief. Juan Salvador hides in tote bags, follows the teacher Michell around, poops on the floor, and charms visitors.

But as Argentina’s political climate grows more oppressive, the penguin becomes a metaphor for innocence under siege and truth. Students become inspired by the penguin, the school’s headmaster Jonathan Pryce softens in the presence of the penguin and takes a step to challenge the authorities. Even the disillusioned cynic, Michell directly confronts the regime.

The Penguin Lessons is an adaptation of Tom Michell’s autobiographical book of the same name, published in 2015. The film slowly unfolds into a warm, heartfelt, and surprisingly powerful story.

Written August 2025 – the month the Sydney Sweeney “Good Jeans” ad became a political issue for some insufferable reason.