STACK #195 Jan 2021

CINEMA FEATURE

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“Because we were shooting in water and time was precious, and Glendyn had a very clear idea of how he wanted the shot to look, I was quite tense because my character had to encourage Naomi to go into this freezing cold water. I suppose it was funny in retrospect, but at the time it wasn’t.” House says that the real-life Blooms touched her heart. “Such beautiful people and a real joy to be around. They were so warm and welcoming and even let us film in their house. It was very trusting of them to allow an entire film crew into their home.” Indeed, director Glendyn Ivin’s greatest concern centered around filming in the Blooms’ real home as he retold their most painful moments. “I was very wary about how intrusive we were being,” he says. “Imagine having a film made about you and your partner and your children – and now it’s in your house? It’s so

personal. Even when you’re adapting a true story, things change all the time and drift away from what actually happened, but hopefully you don’t lose sight of what is true.” STACK asks Ivin why he chose to cast Andrew Lincoln in such an Australian story. “We just really wanted someone who matched Naomi’s energy and we looked at a lot of actors,” he explains. “Not only did Andy feel right, but when we spoke to him, he was just so connected with the material and even had a copy of the book on his shelf. It felt very fortuitous. “His only fear was the

NaomiWatts stars in Penguin Bloom , the true story of Sydney mum Sam Bloom, whose recovery from a tragic accident is helped when she and her family meet an unusual visitor – a baby magpie who, like Sam, is also FEATHERED FRIEND

accent… but when he arrived in Australia he already had the

accent down and never dropped it, living with that accent the entire time, getting out there amongst people.” More than anything, Lincoln was nervous about a story dominated by children and animals, he adds. “He knew he had to be flexible because no scenes went to plan, particularly when you’re working with a magpie. “We really had to go with what Penguin wanted to do, as opposed to what was scripted,” adds Ivin, who used multiple trained birds as the story evolved. While it may be tragic, Ivin believes the Blooms’ story is ultimately life affirming. “A lot of people who suffer a life-changing accident learn to accept the injury and, in some ways, their life is actually better than what it was before. It’s strange to say, but I believe that to be true. “However, Sam Bloom is not like that. She says she’ll never accept the accident and she didn’t want a fist-pumping end to the story. She’s just not that person, so the story arc is smaller and I think more real because of it.”

injured and hurting. Words Gill Pringle T he little bird, named Penguin, managed to do what neither Sam’s husband Cameron or their three sons could do in pulling her out of a massive depression following a 2013 family holiday in Thailand, which ended in tragedy after Sam fell

Glendyn Ivin onboard, Naomi Watts and The Walking Dead ’s Andrew Lincoln signing on to portray Sam and Cam Bloom. What could come off as a corny film benefits from its grounding in truth, a strong script, and terrific supporting roles from Jacki Weaver as Sam’s mum and Kiwi actress Rachel House (a frequent Taika Waititi collaborator) in a memorable performance as Sam’s kayaking teacher, Gaye Hatfield. Speaking with House in New Zealand via Zoom, we ask if she is much of a kayaker in real life. “My dad was in shipping but he had a fear of swimming. He really wanted his children not to live in fear of the water, so he got us out on the water from an early age.” Among one of Penguin Bloom ’s most memorable moments is a scene where House teaches Watts’s Sam Bloom to kayak, the pair singing Radiohead’s Creep a cappella.

from a balcony, shattering her spine and consigning her to life in a wheelchair. As a professional

We really had to go with what Penguin wanted to do, as opposed to what was scripted

photographer, Cam Bloom’s Instagram stories and subsequent book about their new feathered housemate, documenting magpie

Penguin’s essential role in his wife’s recovery, became an instant hit. The story of “Penguin Bloom” ultimately took on a life of its own, finding its way to Aussie producers Emma Cooper and Bruna Papandrea and, with director

Penguin Bloom is in cinemas on January 21.

JANUARY 2021

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