Penguin Highway (2018)
Penguin Highway literalizes the internal world of a young boy growing older, becoming curious, and committing himself entirely to the scientific resolution of any enigma he may come across.
The film directly addresses what holds the focus of Aoyama, a young boy, at the film's outset: the anatomy of grown women. But this should not mischaracterize Aoyama, as he is diligent, intellectual, and logical to a fault; he is not entirely defined by his boyish distractions.
However, one character who remains continually fascinating to him is known only as the Dentist Lady due to her working at the local dental clinic. She also acts as chess tutor and general babysitter to Aoyama. Thus far, Aoyama's experience is appropriately tumultuous for his age, but decidedly mundane.
Nearly indecipherable supernatural mysteries crop up around Aoyama, taking his youthful desire to understand adult women and channeling it into more concrete objectives. Still, the mysteries are tied to the Dentist Lady and her ability to conjure strange penguins. The general air of oddity is further compounded by "The Sea", an unexplained sphere of liquid existing in proximity to the town, and Jabberwocks, predatory creatures related to the penguins.
None of it really makes total sense. And that is the point. Aoyama is applying scientific rigor to profoundly inscrutable mysteries that largely defy logic and known science. Aoyama is not solving one problem or even an array of problems: he is confronting the notion of complexity itself.
Aoyama's maturation is recurrently explored, even in such simple things as his insisting on drinking coffee in order to adapt to the bitterness. As another milestone, Aoyama inadvertently wins the affections of a classmate, Hamamoto. Initially, Aoyama is torn between researching the penguins with the Dentist Lady and the Sea with Hamamoto.
Interestingly, the two experiments are both arranged around two fundamentally important people for Aoyama. In the Dentist Lady, he sees the template for what he will be attracted to going forward into adulthood. In Hamamoto, he sees an age-appropriate peer who is expressing interest here and now. Even more fascinating, the two experiments unite, signifying their mutual importance in Aoyama's journey of maturation.
As the film progresses, Aoyama faces another rite of passage: the confrontation of mortality. In a gentle scene, Aoyama's very young sister awakes him in the middle of the night as she is crying. She is mourning the future death of their mother, seeking comfort from Aoyama. He is honest with her but remains a supportive brother, as he relates to her anxieties.
And then, he must face those anxieties. The penguins, the Jabberwocks and the Sea have formed an unstable supernatural ecosystem threatening the town. The Dentist Lady and her penguins are called in to save the day, prompting an incredible visual sequence as the penguins spring to life from ordinary objects. Ultimately, as the Dentist Lady is actually a part of the supernatural ecosystem, she must disappear along with the Sea. Aoyama maintains a posture of stoicism despite a feeling of great loss.
Connection, complexity, and loss; Aoyama is beginning to learn what it means to transition from childhood to adulthood.
The film insists on ending on a hopeful note, but a slightly odd one as Aoyama persists in his belief that he may one day find his way back to the Dentist Lady, something she encourages before departing.
The reviewer notes that the Dentist Lady, while not breaking any strict norms, does seem abnormally familiar with Aoyama. This lends great strength to their relationship but also feels inexplicable at times. For a character who is never named, Aoyama's parents are exceptionally comfortable allowing her to oversee him for long periods of time, even overnight. She often comments on Aoyama's age, but treats him as if he is older due to this behavior. Their dynamic is not necessarily inappropriate, but to call it normal would be an overstatement. The exact social role the Dentist Lady fills in Aoyama's life remains a bit of a mystery itself.
With an absolute rush of a third act, a clever take on puberty, and gorgeous animation, viewers may want to calculate a new route which takes them along the Penguin Highway.