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Our local theater does "Mystery Movies" on Monday where all the tell you is the run time and rating before the movies starts, so we had no expectations. When it started, I saw that this was going to be a PG animal flick, so I started out bummed. I was pleasantly surprised. Based on the true story of a man who befriends a penguin, but the real story is more about how a man overcomes grief and re-engages with his life and community. How a village can actively support one another. There are quite a few laughs and silly moments as you would expect from a movie with a penguin as a main character, but pull that back, and it really is a redemption and growth story about a simple couple in a fishing village. There are a few darker themes, especially around human hubris and callousness, this will go over younger viewers' heads, all in all, a really heartwarming film that I recommend to take the whole family to see. My biggest criticism is that the dialog was a bit weak and they tried a bit too hard with some of the underwater shots. They tried something they hoped would look cool, but it was more disorienting than anything else.

This won't be everyone's taste; you really need to focus to track the hints sprinkled throughout the beginning of the film. If you watch closely, the ending will make a lot more sense. I really like Kaitlyn Dever in Unbelievable, where I thought she out performed Toni Collette, but she really nails her role as an outcast with "no one to save her", working with almost zero dialog and with a limited cast, she made the movie. I really enjoyed the slow burn feel. I actually wish they had shown less of the intruder, I think that would have made it a bit more intense, letting your mind do more of the work. I recommend a watch.

The connection between the dog an the soldier is great, but where they hit the mark is the PTSD portrayal for both the soldiers and the dog, that's where the real drama comes in. There are some great comic relief elements, but at the end of the day, this is a soldier coming to grips with his trauma and a sweet dog story. I loved it.