“It was really about wanting to platform working-class women’s voices”: Janis Pugh on Chuck Chuck Baby

Chuck Chuck Baby is the delightful, heart-warming new movie from Janis Pugh, whose beginnings lay in Blue Collars and Buttercups. Set in small-town industrial North Wales – and more specifically in the unlikely spot of a chicken packing factory, whose whacky name gives the film its charming title – it follows Helen (Louise Brealey from Sherlock), a shy, put-upon woman whose life has not taken off as she might have hoped. Her daily grind involves working in the factory while living under the same roof as her ex-husband, who has a new girlfriend and baby, and caring for his ailing mother – her adopted mother of sorts who at least shows her some love. The drudgery is interrupted, however, by the arrival of Joanne (the excellent Annabel Scholey of The Split), a woman she had a crush on as a schoolgirl, though they barely exchanged words. Sparks fly, and their whirlwind time together ignites life and passion in the pair, but Joanne’s own demons rear their head to threaten their future together.

What makes the movie truly original and unique is not only its offbeat setting but the fact that it’s a musical that’s not quite a musical: as tracks of the likes of Neil Diamond’s I Am, I Said and Julie Felix’s Dirty Old Town play out on the radio, the characters sing along, giving rise to brilliantly conceived song and dance moments, climaxing in an epic chicken carcass fight scene Minnie Riperton’s Les Fleurs. The film bursts with emotionally rousing and whimsical, fairytale-esque colourful set pieces. These capitalise on everything, from the blue of the aprons as this boisterous group of women escape the monotony of factory work with a mushroom trip in a field, to multicoloured umbrellas that facilitate a Singin’ in the Rain moment. Meanwhile, it captures with gritty realism the challenges of Helen’s life, while also infusing it with wit, laughter, and lightness.

Not only is Chuck Chuck Baby a loving tribute to the resilience and brilliance of the working-class women Pugh grew up around – putting the experiences of those over 40, female friendship and a queer love story front and centre – it also emphasises the universal importance of human connection, the transformative power of music and, crucially, reminds us that it’s never too late. Having charmed audiences worldwide, from Edinburgh Film Festival to Toronto, the tale of female liberation and empowerment is now finally landing in UK cinemas.

The Upcoming had the chance to chat with Pugh about how the vision of her mother wearing blue overalls and singing musicals deeply influenced the roots of the story. She discussed the importance of blending social realism with musical elements in her storytelling and her desire to celebrate the lives of older working-class women on screen.

Sarah Bradbury

Chuck Chuck Baby is released in select cinemas on 19^th July 2024.

Watch the trailer for Chuck Chuck Baby here: