“Janis Pugh’s surreal comedy is perfect summer fare for a country basking in a post-election and post-Euros comedown”
BY JACQUIE LAWRENCE, IMAGE BY CARLTON DIXON
Older, working-class lesbians based in the regions. Not the normal description of two leading characters in a mainstream film but Chuck Chuck Baby is not normal and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Indeed, Janis Pugh’s surreal comedy is perfect summer fare for a country basking in a post-election and post-Euros comedown.
The set-up sounds as bonkers as it actually is. Helen (a tour de force performance by Louise Brealey) lives with her ex-husband, his girlfriend, their baby and his dying mother. She is stuck, emotionally and physically, not least because she has nowhere to go but also because love keeps her there. The love she has for her ex-mother-in-law (Sorcha Cusack) who gave her a home and comfort when Helen was only 16.
Helen’s malaise is upended by the return of her childhood crush Joanne and their spark is reignited. Played by The Split’s Annabel Scholey, Joanne is a swaggering confident lesbian whose childhood trauma needs to be erased so that she, too, can move on. Can both Helen and Jo realign their past in order to begin their future?
The film follows the slow-burning love story of Helen and Joanne against a background of grief, hope, friendship and chickens. Their narrative is played out alongside an ensemble of brilliant characters, all friends whose lives revolve around the chicken factory but whose hearts and minds shine beyond it. The motif of the film is female friendship in whatever form – platonic or otherwise – and this is where the comedy soars, with sublime performances by Beverly Rudd, Cat Simmons and Emily Aston.
The comedy is not purely gag-based rather it is brimming with the comedic observations that Janis Pugh brings to her writing and direction. Both the comedy and the poignancy of Chuck Chuck Baby are underscored, literally, by an evocative soundtrack featuring singer/songwriters Lesley Duncan, Janis Ian, Minnie Riperton and a vintage Neil Diamond track.
Whatever film you choose for your summer viewing, I implore you to choose this one. You may never look at a chicken in the same way again but you’ll laugh, cry, laugh, sing and then laugh again!
Chuck Chuck Baby is on nationwide release from Friday 19 July. You can read more about the film and book your tickets here :
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