Upamanyu Biswas
‘My Penguin Friend’ tells the semi-fictional story of a father-son bond between a fisherman named João and a Magellanic penguin, Dindim. After being rescued by the fisherman, Dindim forges a deep bond with his human friend, who nurses him back to health and sends him back to the wild. However, the penguin continues to retain João’s memory and visits his home every few months to reconnect with his human family. The David Schurmann directorial captures the wholesome relationship between the pair, placing a greater emphasis on the penguin’s exploits and its loyalty towards its friend. Therefore, the focus of the Brazilian-American movie lies primarily on the bird’s point of view, which brought its own challenges during the production.
Dindim’s Cinematic Appearance is a Blend of Real Footage With a Dash of Special Effects
As ‘My Penguin Friend’ revolves exclusively around João and Dindim’s tight bond, the film crew knew that authentically portraying the penguin would be pivotal to the storytelling and emotional connection between the viewers and characters. The real-life Dindim became friends with João Pereira de Souza in 2011 after the bird was found soaking in oil at the beach. Subsequently, João took it home with him, fed him, and treated him like a guest. He was later named Dindim by João’s grandson, who could not pronounce the word penguin, instead dubbing it Dindim. People close to the pair often saw them snuggling with one another while watching TV in the living room or even swimming together.
In the movie, ten penguins from the Ubatuba Aquarium play the part of Dindim. They worked for limited hours, often retiring after 3 pm to their climate-controlled “penguinariums.” Flamethrowers were utilized to ensure that no mosquitoes from the tropical Brazilian locale bit the birds. Director David Schurmann revealed that two of the penguins ended up falling in love with one another, which led to their removal from acting duties. “Our penguin whisperer, Fabian Gabelli, said ‘these two won’t be working any more, let’s let them enjoy their romance,'” Schurmann explained.
One penguin in particular stood out as the star performer, 7-year-old Maui, who the director claimed worked very well with the actors. Therefore, a genuine effort was made to film as many of Dindim’s scenes as possible through performances from real penguins and to do it in a manner that did not harm the birds. However, while a large chunk of the film is brimming with real penguin scenes, additional footage was generated through special effects. CGI shots were utilized for the scenes where the situation was deemed too unsafe for a penguin to film in real life. Around 15% of the movie’s shots feature CGI penguins, while the remaining 5% were shot through animatronics.
Dindim’s Current Whereabouts are Unknown
One of the most captivating things about Dindim and João’s real story is how the penguin kept returning to his home despite being a free bird. After being nursed back to health and sent into the wilds, Dindim would swim back to the Brazilian beach where his human friend lived time and time again. He continued this for five consecutive years following their meeting in 2011. In that time, Dindim spent periods of eight months on the beach and four at sea during a year. While Magellanic penguins are known to frequent the Brazillian beaches in search of food, Dindim’s behavior was unusual for its species and an indicator of its special bond with João. However, in September 2016, the bird went back to the sea and did not return.
At the time of his disappearance, the penguin was about six years old, which is of breeding age for Magellanic penguins. One theory suggests that Dindim went back to his native place of origin and managed to build a family with a potential nesting partner. As no tracking devices were attached to him, it is difficult to hypothesize with any degree of certainty what happened to the penguin. Another grim possibility was suggested by oceanographer Hugo Gallo Neto of the Ubatuba Aquarium, who said that Dindim “could have fallen victim to the many natural and human threats.” Regardless of his absence over the last few years, his friend João waits expectantly for his return any day on the beaches of Brazil.
Read More: My Penguin Friend: Is Paulo Based on a Real Wildlife Documentarian? Where is He Now?
