Directed by Glendyn Ivin, Penguin Bloom is a family drama by Netflix. Its story is based on real-life and the novel of the same name written by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Greive. While the film does indeed comprise a newly paralyzed mum overcoming obstacles thanks to her pet magpie chick nicknamed Peng — who’s not, sadly, a true penguin — this is not some cutesy, bordering-on-laughable inspiration. It’s more individual, cluttered, and dead-serious compared to its sight-gag of a poster could have you think. This does not mean it is a fantastic picture — a passable one.
Penguin Bloom Filming Locations
Netflix’s Penguin bloom was filmed mostly in Avalon, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and one major scene was also filmed in Phuket, Thailand. The filming work was started in the first week of August 2019 and lasted for almost 12 weeks.
Sydney, Australia
A significant part of the movie was shot within the true house of the Bloom family at Newport, a suburb in northern Sydney which borders the region of the Northern Beaches.
The story unravels with all the Bloom family caring for and enjoying the injured bird till Sam finds new meaning in her life through the bird. Sam Bloom has posted several images of her with Naomi Watts inside the Bloom residence taken during the shooting of the movie on her personal Instagram.
Another place in Sydney featured inside the movie was Avalon Beach. The area was known as Avalon until 2012 and is a part of the Northern Beaches. From Sam’s Instagram posts, the crew seems to have shot a few scenes of this movie at Bilgola Beach, where Sam said she’d spent a defining part of her youth.
Phuket, Thailand
The Balcony accident scene of Sam was filmed on the Phuket island in Thailand. It is one of the beautiful beaches and luxurious places of Thailand.
Penguin Bloom Cast
- Griffin Murray Johnston
- Abe Clifford-Barr as Oil Bloom
- Lisa Hensley as Bron
- Felix Cameron as Rueben Bloom
- Jacki Weaver as Jan
- Leeanna Walsman as Kylie
- Gia Carides as Megan
- Rachel House as Gaye Hatfield
- Andrew Lincoln as Cameron Bloom
- Randolph Fields as Skater
- Alison Bow
- Naomi Watts as Sam Bloom
PLOT
The movie is based on a household in Sydney that seeks slivers of hope and tranquility when caring for a wounded Magpie infant as the spouse tries to conform to her semi-paralysis following a collapse.
The superbly written script of the movie is accompanied by applause-worthy performances by the actors as well as the scenic backgrounds of Australian shores and landscapes.
‘Penguin Bloom’ film aptly reveals how the household’s life revolved around the bird. There were nights when they had been terrified that Penguin might never live to see the light of the day. In the end, it requires a great deal of commitment to maintain a baby bird’s survival!