In the fact-inspired tale My Penguin Friend, currently in theaters, a cross-species bond helps heal a broken heart.
Sorrow washed over João Periera de Sousa (Jean Reno) and his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza) when tragedy struck.
João, a Brazilian fisherman, couldn't find his way out of despondency after his young son was thrown from his fishing boat into a stormy sea. For years, he languished in grief, barely speaking as he went about his chores.
But then, João came upon a penguin drifting alone in the ocean, its feathers soaked with oil from a spill, and facing almost certain death. Seeing a creature in need of his care, João once again found purpose in his life as he reached into the sea and rescued the penguin, carrying him home, carefully washing the oil, and nursing him back to health.
Although he expected that the penguin, once it regained its strength, would leave and join the other penguins on a distant shore, the bird instead stayed with João, following him around the house. The lonely man and the grateful bird formed an unbreakable bond.
DinDim -- as the penguin was named -– eventually did rejoin his flock in Argentina; but he returned each year, traveling thousands of miles to visit his friend João.
The account seems improbable, but is, in fact, a true story.
A Tale of Love and Transformation
When it really happened in 2016, the unlikely friendship of the penguin from Argentina and a Brazilian man caught the attention of the world. Now, in 2024, the story has been retold on the big screen in City Hill Arts' new release My Penguin Friend.
Jonathan Lim, founder of City Hill Arts and producer of My Penguin Friend, talked recently about the film and about his goal of making movies which focus on stories of transformation, or everyday people (like the humble fisherman in My Penguin Friend) who do extraordinary things.
João was depressed, unable to face life without wallowing in his sorrow. “The really powerful theme that comes through,” Lim explained,
"... is that love, kindness and friendship have the ability to transform this fisherman and his family. They're broken after a devastating tragedy.
But while we all process grief in different ways, I think that by taking those feelings and pouring his emotions outside of himself in a selfless manner – in this case, onto another creature that shares the earth with him, the plucky penguin – the fisherman was able to process his grief and also to reengage with his community and with his wife.
And Maria, the fisherman's wife, is on her own journey toward healing. In some ways, she and her husband had never reconciled and so had been unable to deal with their grief together. And maybe there was a touch of jealousy on her part, as her husband poured out his love on this penguin; but Maria came to realize how this was a good thing for João, for her, and for the whole community.
You see the neighbors coming together in church, to pray for João and for the penguin. You can see the change that comes over the whole community!”
Lim believes that another important theme in this movie is stewardship. He explained,
“God calls us to be stewards of the planet on which we live, with those who share the earth with us. I'm just following God's lead!”
With all this talk about God, you might wonder who Jonathan Lim is ... and the answer is surprising. It's certainly not the resume of the stereotypical movie producer.
A Doctor and Man of Faith Who Wants to Heal the World
Lim has, in many ways throughout his career, demonstrated his faith in God and his determination to do God's will, by ultimately making the world a better place.
As a physician-turned-entrepreneur, Dr. Lim founded, funded and led three mission-driven ventures in the healthcare industry, focusing on biotechnology as a means of revitalizing people, planet, and perspective.
He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Erasca, which he co-founded in 2018, with a mission to erase cancer. He has helped to pioneer breakthroughs in drug delivery and precision oncology, immunology and drug delivery, and his projects have benefitted thousands of patients worldwide.
Lim explained that the film production company he founded, City Hill Arts, is named after Matthew 5:14, in which Jesus says, as part of the Sermon on the Mount: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."
Lim believes that there aren't enough films of this kind in the theaters, and he hopes that people will attend in the film's opening week, thus proving to AMC Theaters and Regal and others that there is an audience for wholesome and inspiring films.
Future Projects
Not willing to rest on his laurels, Jonathan Lim has already begun work on another project titled In the Beginning. That film, he reported, is an animation spectacle that tells the story of Genesis 1:1 to 2:3, the days of Creation.
“There aren't enough films out there that can be enjoyed by multi-generations,” Lim said, “but this is one.”
For In the Beginning, Dr. Lim is collaborating with Cary Granat, American film producer and studio executive and the former CEO of Walden Media.
While at Walden Media, Dr. Lim reported, Granat had secured the rights to C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series, overseeing production of the first film of the franchise, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Lim hopes his next venture will also, like My Penguin Friend, appeal to a wide audience that includes families and moviegoers of all ages.
As a bonus, here's the original story that inspired the film:
Image: Jean Reno in My Penguin Friend/Roadside Attractions
Kathy Schiffer writes regularly for the National Catholic Register and Catholic World Report, and for other Catholic publications including Evangelization and Culture, Crisis Magazine, Aleteia, Zenit, the Michigan Catholic, and Legatus Magazine. She’s worked for Catholic and other Christian ministries since 1988, as radio producer, director of special events and media-relations coordinator.
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