Penguin Bloom

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Penguin Bloom

2020

1h 35m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 2013, Samantha Bloom (two-time Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), her husband Cameron (The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln) and their three sons left their home in Australia for a holiday in Thailand. While enjoying a view, Sam fell off of a rooftop due to what was later determined to be a rotted railing... breaking her vertebrae in two places. Paralyzed from the chest down, Sam -- a lifelong outdoorswoman, surfer, and traveler -- was unrecognizable to herself, and spent long months in a depression that made her question who she could be in the world and in her own family. A year later, her children brought home a wounded baby magpie they found. Warily eyeing the black-and-white bird the kids affectionately named "Penguin," Sam bonded with the household's new member, beginning a process of emotional healing that surprised her husband and sons, her mother (Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver), and herself. PENGUIN BLOOM tells the amazing true story of renewal that occurred when a woman whose life seemed shattered found hope and purpose in her family's love -- and in a bird on its own journey of recovery.

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Critics Consensus

Penguin Bloom's fact-based story could have been adapted with greater nuance, but strong work from Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln adds some much-needed heart.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Feb 5, 2021

2/4

There's a thin line between feel-good entertainment and hokum. While Penguin Bloom never quite slips into the latter, it comes awfully close.

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Jan 29, 2021

3/5

While it's all a bit on the nose, that nose will be running, and hankies coming.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 28, 2021

3/4

Watts is such a chameleon of an actress, such a pro at slipping into a vast array of roles without drawing attention to the mechanics of her work, that we almost take for granted how damn good she is - and she delivers beautiful and resonant work as Sam.

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M.N. Miller

Music City Drive-In

Jan 4, 2023

2.5/5

The heartwarming fuzzy feelings that the genre is built on never take flight for Penguin Bloom.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 17, 2022

3/5

It follows a tried-and-true feel-good formula that hits the normal beats and ends right where you expect. Yet it still makes for good viewing because of the heart-warming true story and the wonderful performances that bring it to the screen.

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Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

May 13, 2022

7/10

While the plot may be rote, the high level of craftsmanship keeps it engaging.

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Sérgio N

@RT03383691 May 4, 2026

Great drama based on the book Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family, written by Bradley Trevor Greive and Cameron Bloom, which is also based on real events (with the Bloom family themselves participating in the production). Although strange, it was cool to see Andrew in a theme very different from what we're used to in TWD, and Naomi Watts conveyed a lot of emotion and truthfulness within that extremely painful context, but at the same time highlighting the overcoming, purposes, connections, motivations and hopes of reconstruction. The bird was the icing on the cake for all these ingredients to come together. I recommend it!

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keersten T

@RatingMovies Jan 11, 2026

omg so predictable and boring I begged my mom to turn it off

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Meri S.

@mschroeder Oct 16, 2025

A heart felt family drama and how a magpie helped heal them from a tragedy. Based on a true story.

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Carlos Samuel E

@Carlos360 Sep 13, 2025

Excelente película, te demuestra una historia de aceptación y de seguimiento.muy buena película

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j F

@RT31612624 Mar 18, 2025

If you like birds, ocean beaches, great photography, and a heart warming story you got it here!

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Zachary Jacob S

@RT29975639 Nov 20, 2024

A sweet story! I liked it overall. The acting, cinematography, and score were really solid! It is slow and seems to wander at times. But if you like the idea of a deep (and sometimes depressing) but ultimately uplifting film, I think you might enjoy Penguin Bloom!

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Glendyn Ivin

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Synopsis

In 2013, Samantha Bloom (two-time Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), her husband Cameron (The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln) and their three sons left their home in Australia for a holiday in Thailand. While enjoying a view, Sam fell off of a rooftop due to what was later determined to be a rotted railing... breaking her vertebrae in two places. Paralyzed from the chest down, Sam -- a lifelong outdoorswoman, surfer, and traveler -- was unrecognizable to herself, and spent long months in a depression that made her question who she could be in the world and in her own family. A year later, her children brought home a wounded baby magpie they found. Warily eyeing the black-and-white bird the kids affectionately named "Penguin," Sam bonded with the household's new member, beginning a process of emotional healing that surprised her husband and sons, her mother (Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver), and herself. PENGUIN BLOOM tells the amazing true story of renewal that occurred when a woman whose life seemed shattered found hope and purpose in her family's love -- and in a bird on its own journey of recovery.

Director: Glendyn Ivin
Producer: Emma Cooper, Steve Hutensky, Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Naomi Watts
Screenwriter: Shaun Grant, Harry Cripps
Production Co: JamTart Productions, Broadtalk, Screen Australia, Made Up Stories, Fifth Season, Create NSW, Roadshow Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2021
Runtime: 1h 35m

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