The Penguin Lessons

It was at the end of a windy and rainy Friday that 6 TIC members met at Cinecitta to watch a new film, The Penguin Lessons. The film was set in Argentina in 1976 at an elite boys school, where Tom Michell arrives as the new English teacher. On the cusp of a government coup, the situation is tense so Mr Michell takes a trip to nearby Uraguay on the weekend and – surprisingly – returns with an adorable small penguin. The toddling little fellow soon charms the jaded teacher and many others at the conservatie school. With a lot of humor, despite a dangerous set of circumstances, the movie is charming – all the more so since it is based on a true story.

After the film, we settled down in a corner of the Cinecitta cafe and chatted about the film. The details of 1976 clothing, cars, furnishings and colors were done well so you really felt like the time period; and how do you actually train a penguin?  Our conversation soon shifted to life in the Netherlands, the challenges of learning Dutch, and how different life was before cell phones and the internet. We had such a great time talking that we sat for almost 2 hours before the group broke up and all headed home. A fun start of the weekend!