David Farnor | On 17, Jan 2021

Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln star in Penguin Bloom, which arrives on Netflix this month – and a new trailer gives us a look at the star-studded drama.

Based on a true story, Penguin Bloom follows Sam Bloom (Watts), a young mother whose world is turned upside down after a near-fatal accident leaves her unable to walk. As she learns to adapt to her new life, she finds hope in an unlikely hero, a small bird named Penguin.

Based on the book by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Greive, the film co-stars Andrew Lincoln as Samantha’s husband Cameron, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House, Leeanna Walsman, Lisa Hensley, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Felix Cameron and Abe Clifford-Barr.
The film is adapted for the screen by Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps and directed by Glendyn Ivin.

The film is released on Netflix on 27th January. Here’s the trailer:

 

Penguin Bloom is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Netflix picks up Penguin Bloom for January release

1st December 2020

Netflix has picked up the rights to Penguin Bloom ready for release this January.

Penguin Bloom tells the 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. Based on the book by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Greive, the film stars Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House, Leeanna Walsman, Lisa Hensley, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Felix Cameron and Abe Clifford-Barr.

It follows Samantha Bloom (Watts), her husband Cameron (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. Paralysed from the chest down, Sam — a surfer and traveler — was unrecognisable 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 (Weaver), and herself.

The film is adapted for the screen by Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps and directed by Glendyn Ivin, who has previously helmed the Palme d’Or winning short Cracker Bag and BBC One’s The Cry.

Watts is also producing, alongside Emma Cooper, Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodi Matterson.

“We all fell in love with the life-affirming nature of Sam’s story and her undeniable spirit. The emotional journey she and her family go on after Penguin enters their lives is unforgettable,” say the book’s publishers. “We have a wonderful partner in Netflix and we’re delighted they will be bringing Penguin Bloom to audiences around the world.”

Netflix will release the film on 27th January 2021.

Photo: Joel Pratley

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