Hurt Penguins

When I first saw Hurt Penguins, I could hardly believe that a film could be made that expressed how I feel about myself, my sexuality, and relationships. Here is a romantic comedy that demonstrates that humans are built to be in love with more than one person, and that accepting this fact creates the possibility of heaven on earth.

Today, in the Bay Area and around the world, the poly movement has identified options for people who do not identify with the traditional monogamous relationship model. When this film was made, however, the poly movement hardly existed.

What I liked best about the film was that Harriet was able to clearly express how her love for Nick and her love for Jeremy had entirely different flavors, rhythms, and other elements, and that these differences did not compete, but complemented each other. It is an accurate portrayal of this relationship style which does not gloss over the challenges.

Unfortunately, the film only deals with the beginning of the triad's relationship. As we all know, the beginnings of relationships are only the appetizer.

I was excited to rewatch this 1992 Canadian rom-com as part of my penguin-themed movie marathon, but it's nowhere to be found on streaming services.

My next step was to enlist the help of all my friends to scour old video collections in search of this elusive movie. I even reached out to Michele Muzzi's daughter on Letterboxd, only to discover that digital copies are non-existent. My brother had some luck finding a site with movie posters, but unfortunately, U was not able to track down a copy of the movie itself.

Despite its elusiveness, the film holds a special place in my heart as one of my favourite Canadian movies. Hopefully, someday, I will be able to rewatch Hurt Penguins so I can see if it's as wonderful as I remember.