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Penguin Bloom

2020

Glendyn Ivin

Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House ...

5.7

485

Drama Australian Sam Bloom (Watts) is enjoying a blissful vacation in Thailand when a horrifying accident sends her falling storeys down to the pavement. Life changes in an instant for her, but also for her husband, Cameron (Andrew Lincoln), and their three children. Back home, Sam’s painful adjustment to her new disability leaves her unable to appreciate her idyllic home and a family trying to connect. When the family takes in a stray ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"Ivin doesn’t trust her audience enough, gliding across the surface of Bloom’s tragedy in a way that feels melodramatic and simplistic"
		Tomris Laffly Variety	"[Bloom's] unforgettable achievements become a postscript in the forgettable 'Penguin Bloom,' which stays afloat on Watts’ shoulders alone."
		John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"A well-acted but over-familiar tale of rebirth after tragedy (...) This is hardly the complex material cinephiles hope for at festivals"
		Marshall Shaffer The Playlist	"Naomi Watts succumbs to ableist tropes & overwrought metaphor"
		Tim Grierson Screendaily	"Naomi Watts gives a suitably sensitive performance (...) [It feels] like just another inspirational film about overcoming personal hardship — albeit one with far more magpie than is the norm"
		Kate Erbland IndieWire	"Watts’ finely tuned performance, never fussy and often biting, helps guide the film’s more predictable pathways."
		Luke Buckmaster The Guardian	"There is a great, moving story to tell about the real Sam Bloom – but this film only gets part of the way there (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Johnny Oleksinski New York Post	"Tender but predictable drama (...) Subtlety is kicked to the curb in favor of volcanic drama, and nary a moment goes by without some screaming or an inspiring message (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"

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