Film: The Penguin Lessons

Yesterday evening, I was supposed to fly back to Ireland for a short Easter break. Was in the office.. was kept slightly late.. but managed to arrive at Stansted, and get through the security gate, 70 minutes before my flight was due (it was slightly earlier than lately). But oh, the security queue.. I don't think I've ever seen it so long! Anyway, I reasoned I had plenty of time, so joined it.. I did notice that most of the desks weren't open, which can't have helped.

40 minutes later, I was 2/3 through the queue when I checked the Ryanair app - which said my flight had announced its final call! So I politely pushed through the queue, explaining my situation - I was the third person to do it, they were sympathetic. Security still held me up - because of the backlog, it took minutes to get my crates on the conveyor belt, and they checked my case for no good reason - but I was finally free. To dash to the very far end of the airport - practically the highest gate number, damnit!

I made it there as fast as I could.. which wasn't fast enough; I was in the 40s when they announced Final Call (the app was premature in that), and in the 50s when they closed the gate. My gate was 56. I'd missed it again.. Patently, their policy is to let the main body of people through, then announce Final Call, and give about five minutes..

So, straight online to book an alternative for this morning. The Ryanair flight was completely sold out - but I got (an eye-wateringly expensive) seat with Aer Lingus, from Heathrow. And so.. back home. Where there was little time to do anything but go to sleep - I set the alarm for 6.30 this morning. Got out the door at 6.50 (three hours before the flight).

No sign of an imminent bus going my way, so I walked to London Bridge - sure enough, no bus I could have caught passed me en route. Google Maps was undecided about what to do next - I checked when I was there, and Jubilee Line it was, to connect to the Elizabeth Line. At that hour on what is, in the UK, a bank holiday, it was delightfully uncrowded! and I made the Elizabeth Line in time to get an earlier train than recommended. Unfortunately, this was not similarly uncrowded - but again, at 7.35am, at least I wasn't, as before, in imminent danger of being pushed off! Didn't get a seat either, but never mind.

I'd booked so late that, by the time I got around to it, online check-in had closed, so I had to check in at the airport. No problem at all. And I knew my way around the bag drop that they encourage for cabin baggage. Straight through security, bought a sandwich and a drink, sat where we were supposed to leave from.. all of which took (guess how long?). 40 minutes. Now, that's an interesting comparison with the hell that is Stansted..

Not to mention that our plane was continuing to Newark, so we (technically) had WiFi (you'd have had to install an app first), and a choice of movies - not that I'd have had time to watch any. But it was just nice.. as was walking through the Business Class section, with its seat pods, with adjustable lights n stuff. Now, I couldn't select my own seat, so ended up in a middle seat near the back - but apart from that, and the fact that Ireland is very rainy at the moment, so we got bumped around a bit.. it was lovely!

In Ireland, I'm delighted to see, there are plenty of new film offerings, so I'm busy. With all films now rated.. highest is Sins of Ireland, which is actually a documentary about (ahem) confession. They interview 15 Irish priests - looks really interesting, for those of us with experience of the phenomenon! Unfortunately, that didn't have decent film times today, either too early (I had to have breakfast after I got to my mother's), or too late..

Next up is Sinners, a very highly rated vampire film set in the world of gangsters and speakeasys. As they say, the Devil has the best music.. Now, this was supposed to be on mid-afternoon today, which would have been perfect, in Ennis.. and then was cancelled, willy-nilly! Not on at a suitable time in Limerick either. Oh well..

And so, that brought me to my third choice, The Penguin Lessons. Steve Coogan stars in the true story of Thomas Michell, who wrote a book about how, having travelled the Americas in the 1970s as a teacher, he fetched up in Argentina in 1976, conveniently just in time for a military coup. On holiday, he p-p-picked up a penguin! Or perhaps the other way around.. anyway, he rescued the penguin from a oil slick, and it followed him thereafter. So, he, um - brought it back with him, brought it to lessons, where it proved a big hit..

Ah yes, it is heartwarming - who doesn't love a penguin?! Mind you, a number of people in the film comment on its smell, which of course we can't detect.. which helps with the endearability factor. The students love "Juan Sálvador", everyone ends up confessing their innermost thoughts to him..

Meanwhile, there's a coup, and we get "politics with a small p", as the headmaster (Jonathan Pryce) describes the school's ethos. (Most of the pupils are from families involved with the government, so dissenting voices are not welcomed.) Still, we do come across it in a small way - including the school's cleaner, whose granddaughter becomes one of "The Disappeared" (Los Desaparecidos). Whom, of course, I learned about from a U2 song..

So, a rather lovely film - heartwarming, and with an edge of politics. Really enjoyed it. One thing does bug me.. seriously, did they have to learn that level of English grammar? Especially as non-native speakers - as a native speaker myself, I couldn't have managed it!

Tomorrow, would you believe, the Arc in Ennis (the only one to show Sins of Ireland) is showing it mid-afternoon! (So far..) So that's the plan for tomorrow.

And for Sunday, Sinners is showing mid-afternoon, finally, in the Vue! Well, about time..

Back in London on Monday evening..

I did the film listings, thinking of a film on Tuesday - of course, I could just have skipped all that effort, it was pretty certain I was going to Nosferatu (again) with The Hideout. I've figured out what I like so much about it, you know.. it's not the scariness, although it has that; it's the sheer exuberance with which the film embraces the horror. I like it in much the way I like chocolate fudge cake - it's rich, it's indulgent. It's showing in the Prince Charles, and they're meeting beforehand in the bistro + wine bar in Victory House. However, I couldn't for the life of me find a menu online - except for breakfast - and I read some iffy reviews: so as usual, I'll be eating, before that again, in the local Bella Italia. Now, the last one I ate in promised me a £10 voucher for completing their survey.. hope it arrives in time!

On Wednesday, going to their Cherry Blossom April Social! In conjunction with Movie Roadhouse London, of course - the name, mind you, conjures up summery-er weather than we have now. In the BFI as usual - the lounge though, this time. I'm eating in The Archduke beforehand.

And on Thursday, back to storytelling - this is The Hairy Girl, back at Folklore Hoxton. Courtesy of the Crick Crack Club. Interestingly, the same night, they have Hugh Lupton telling the story of The Homing Stone at the Story Museum Oxford - which always does streaming tickets! So I've bought one of those as well - they're always available for a week afterwards. Now, if I could only remember to watch them..