The Penguin Lessons (2025) on Netflix
In 1976 Argentina, a disillusioned English teacher, Tom Michell, takes a post at a boys' school. A trip to Uruguay leaves him with a penguin that will not leave his side.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.1/1012,444 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes78%
Trailer
Plot summary
Tom Michell is an English teacher who takes a job at a boys' boarding school in Argentina, teaching English and coaching rugby. He befriends María, the housekeeper, Sofia, her granddaughter, who is a political activist, and Tapio, a science teacher. The 1976 coup d'état sends the students home for a week, so Michell and Tapio travel to Punta del Este, Uruguay. On the beach they find penguins killed by oil, and one survivor, which Michell cleans in his hotel bathtub. The bird will not leave him, and no one will let him abandon it.
Cast
Show all 15 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Penguin Lessons (2025)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- On a trip to Uruguay, Tom Michell visited a beach at Punta del Este where he found many dead penguins covered in oil. He saw one penguin still alive, so he rescued it and brought it to his hotel to clean and feed it.
- The rescued penguin refused to leave Tom Michell and followed him everywhere, so he eventually brought it back to the Argentine boys' boarding school where he taught, and it became a popular pet.
