Penguin Bloom is a documentary on Netflix that is based on a true story. A photographer and his family find hope and solace in an injured magpie chick. Their life takes a drastic shift which all began on a rooftop in a trip to Thailand. The mother, Sam Bloom, who loves the water and fell in love with her husband on the beach, changes completely because of the accident she had. Everything happened in split second. There was no time to take anything back. You can’t take the unknown back. The mother broke her back in the accident which kept her paralyzed from the chest down.

However, it all changes when the family gets introduced to a little magpie chick. Things happen for a reason and everything falls into place eventually. The mother may have lost hope but the bird came at the right time. This movie makes you re-evaluate things in your life and even events. Although the mother had a hard time to accept the fact that she was paralyzed, but it was as if the chick was trying to help the mother heal and let go.

She found herself struggling with herself and also with her family. The gap was widening. The blame and the guilt in their relationship after the accident was a heavy burden to carry, even on the children. It was not easy to carry it and the bird came to bring this family together. The magpie chick was a reminder of love, patience, and comfort. Through the movie, Sam will learn to connect back with her old love, the sea and the water. She used to be a surfer and her connection with the bird made her make new decisions.

She decided to learn how to Kayak with the help of a coach. It was refreshing to see how Sam was learning and finding new ways again. Sometimes we think that life will remain the same but there will always be something to push us to our limits and even beyond. It is as if these drastic events are new gates to new possibilities. The bird will disappear for a while so Sam would connect with her family again and open up to them.

Wherever Penguin is, she will always be part of the Blooms.

Quotes from the movie

Watching Penguin Bloom was an experience I believe all of us need. We need such reminder every now and then. It was refreshing and challenging to watch the resistance to live through Sam’s experience. It is soon turned into a beautiful story that is worth documenting. I highly encourage you to watch this movie. If you already watched it, leave your feedback in the comments section below.