Do you really love heartwarming YouTube videos about animals and humans who forge unlikely friendships? Do you love them so much that you want to see a feature-length film about one such relationship? Well, that makes you the target demo for My Penguin Friend, the true story of a South American Magellanic penguin named DimDim who bonded with a kindly Brazilian fisherman named Joao (Jean Reno), who saved him from an oil spill.

To be honest, the first act of My Penguin Friend is absolutely devastating, as it documents an earlier family tragedy for which Joao feels responsible. By the time the Joao finds the sickly penguin on the beach, Joao and his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza) have been mired in grief for some time. But caring for the penguin they come to know as DimDim lifts their spirits. After feeding the bird, cleaning him, and letting him wreak havoc on their home, the couple finally begins to heal.

Soon, DimDim is swanning around his rescuers’ coastal house (Can a penguin swan around a house?) in an adorable little sweater Joao fashions for him out of a wool hat.  And let me tell you, if you could bottle the experience of seeing a penguin in a sweater, it would cure even the most serious malaise…

Not wanting to stifle his penguin buddy, Joao sets him free once his rehabilitation is complete. But shockingly, the penguin returns each year (swimming an estimated 5000 miles to visit his pal). But, as Joao always says, “He is my friend. He can come and go as he pleases.”

Soon, the press gets wind of the story and DimDim becomes a sensation, earning millions of social media views worldwide. But what comes with that sort of viral attention on the interwebs? The attention of researchers! Researchers determined to find everyone’s favourite penguin and study him!

Admittedly, scientists who want to learn more about nature aren’t the most nefarious villains out there, but in terms of narrative tension, let’s take what we can get. After all, every story needs some conflict for its characters (both human and penguin) to work through! Researchers who might cramp DimDim style and interrupt his visits are the best we can do…

Ultimately, My Penguin Friend is a small story. But if you love the genre of YouTube video where humans befriend animals, it captures the same wholesome charm (only in 90 minutes instead of a brief snippet). If you’re looking for family fare, you could do worse than seeing this movie…