Throughout cinema history, there has been an abundance of British films highlighting the troubled and complicated lives of those living in small towns. Typically in the form of kitchen sink dramas, they highlight working-class characters and narratives in starkly honest viewpoints. Chuck Chuck Baby, written and directed by Janis Pugh, is a new take that stands out from the crowd. Not just a straight-faced story of love in queer and universal forms, this heartwarming film is somewhat of a musical with hints of magical realism.
Set in an industrial town in Wales, timid Helen (Louis Brealey) lives an unfulfilling life; living with her ex-husband (Celyn Jones), Helen looks after his dying mother Gwen (Sorcha Cusack) during the day and works in a chicken factory at night. When Joanne (Annabel Scholey) returns to the town, it sparks a fire in Helen as Joanne was an unspoken crush for her as a teenager. They quickly connect and past feelings bubble to the surface with positive and negative effects.
From the opening scene, Pugh establishes her specific directorial voice. Unlike other working-class British dramas, Chuck Chuck Baby is full of colour and whimsy. The sun is out most of the time, the deep blues of the factory worker's uniforms pop out from the screen, and the characters sing along to a number of tracks. This isn't a traditional musical, but the cast often sing along to songs played through in-world radios and earphones. Like any good musical they add depth and emotion to the narrative, but the naturalistic way they're performed gives the film an engaging edge. The songs — from the likes of Neil Diamond, Lesley Duncan and The Imperials — are great choices too, particularly Lesley Duncan's ‘Love Song' that acts as the film's theme.
Driving the beating heart of Chuck Chuck Baby are the performances. Brealey is terrific, effortlessly conveying Helen's shifting personality as she becomes more confident and full of life. Scholey nails the cool and charismatic Joanne whose past haunts her and threatens to derail the romance. Together, the leads have a chemistry that will make any viewer root for a happy ending for the couple. This is a hopeful, feel-good love story, but Pugh doesn't forgo harsh realities.
In nearly every scene, Helen and Joanne are subjected to aggressive quips and comments, and as their romance blossoms, they become homophobic and more personal. Pugh is clearly familiar with the British culture of ripping into friends, but also of the problematic beliefs and outlooks from those living in small, closed-off communities. She deftly weaves in these flashes of reality in between sequences of joy, but the film stumbles when the conflict arises between Helen and Joanne late in the runtime feels forced and uncharacteristic — an attempt to raise the stakes before the finale.
In the end, Chuck Chuck Baby is a crowd-pleasing summer flick with a winning queer romance. With a deft blend of comedy, drama, and whimsy, audiences will no doubt get caught in the whirlwind love story and leave cinemas with a big ‘ol smile on their face.
Chuck Chuck Baby releases in UK cinemas on July 19.
