Netflix’s Hit New Mockumentary ‘Cunk on Life’ Is a Must-Watch

Everyone loves a good documentary, right? Documentaries are so common that they even have an entire genre solely devoted to their parody. Mockumentaries have become almost as prevalent as docs themselves, with new and innovative send-ups released all the time. One of the latest entries on the list is Netflix‘s Cunk on Life. The special features Diane Morgan’s Philomena Cunk character as she tries to solve the meaning of life. Simple, right?

Cunk is no stranger to the world of “documentary.” She’s previously tackled Shakespeare, world history, British history, the story of Christmas, and more. What makes Philomena Cunk work, besides the brilliant deadpan humor, is how she toes the line between that humor and actual facts. The various Cunk specials are not straight mockumentaries, as they feature true facts and information. Philomena doesn’t always grasp everything right away, but the featured scientists and academics are all experts in their fields. Viewers might actually end up learning something from Philomena’s bizarre and incoherent lines of questioning. The latest chapter, Cunk on Life, is a must-watch for anyone who wants to have a good laugh and even learn something about themselves in the process.

Philomena Cunk’s Interviewing Style in ‘Cunk on Life’

Diane Morgan originated the Philomena Cunk character on the UK series Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe in 2013. Yes, that’s Black Mirror’s Charlie Brooker. She would later go on to headline the 2016 special Cunk on Shakespeare. This would be followed by the special Cunk on Christmas and the miniseries Cunk on Britain and Cunk on Earth. These appearances established Philomena Cunk as the go-to interviewer of our time. She does genuinely want to explore these topics but is hopelessly dim-witted and ill-informed. Cunk frequently mispronounces names, takes everything literally, and unintentionally confounds or antagonizes the experts.

That brings us to the newest extended special, Cunk on Life. We see Cunk try to get to the bottom of why we’re all here in the first place, even as she admits she’s never really cared or thought about it. She speaks with doctors, historians, art critics, scientists, and other academics, all while blankly staring as they explain complex topics. Cunk doesn’t really understand how the world works, taking everything at face value.

One particularly memorable exchange occurs when she is discussing Michelangelo, or Michael A.N. Jello, as she calls him. After first lamenting that he ruined the perfectly good ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, she asks an expert if he painted the floor and then flipped the building upside down. After a no to that, Cunk inquired if he had either a really long brush or really long arms to be able to reach the ceiling. All of these questions are presented with a confident, straight face, too.

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She asks medical professionals how many brains are in the average person’s head and if it’s true that only 40% of people have bones. An art critic even has to explain that the famous “Scream” painting was not based on the movie. Some concepts she understands but misinterprets, like the fact that it’s “DNA” and not “D and A.” Every one of her questions is presented literally.

When she asks one talking head, “Why are we here?” he assumes she’s asking about the meaning of life. But she’s instead wondering why he chose that particular venue for the interview. Some experts do their best to go along with the bit and explain why Cunk is so misinformed, while others are just dumbfounded. Discussions frequently devolve into unrelated tangents about her “mate Paul,” who does a variety of psychotic and illegal activities.

Why ‘Cunk on Life’ Works as Both a Documentary and Mockumentary

While Cunk herself and the humor are the main draws, the special actually presents a good deal of accurate information. Each featured expert debunks Cunk’s beliefs and explains the true story behind the topic. We learn about human evolution, art history, religion, biology, philosophy, and A.I. technology. The story itself is quite well-made, too. It hits all the notes we would expect to see in a conventional doc exploring the meaning of life.

It starts in prehistory, touches on religion and the Enlightenment, before passing through our modern times with a look ahead to the future. If this feature were hosted by a legitimate newscaster or interviewer, it would easily pass for news. Other mockumentaries may distort the facts or make them up, but everything here (not explained by Cunk) is true and accurate. Viewers can laugh and learn something in the process, and isn’t that what we all really want?

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So is this a documentary? Is it a mockumentary? We can’t say for sure, but it is definitely 100% Philomena Cunk. She’s at her uninformed best here, wasting experts’ time and confidently being incorrect. Intrigued fans should put Netflix’s newest hit on their list. While there, check out the miniseries Cunk on Earth. It follows the same structure as this hit, with the benefit of four more episodes. Cunk on Life is streaming on Netflix.