SUBMARINE sees the feature debut from writer/director Richard Ayoade best known as Moss in Channel 4’s IT Crowd. What people might not know is he has one of the most promising young British filmmakers walking around today and this film proves it.
Adapted from the Joe Dunthorne book of the same name, SUBMARINE is the story of high school adolescence with all it’s universal awkwardness. Oliver Tate lives in Swansea, Wales, and is very much the loner. He spies on his parents, creating flow charts of their sexually activity and varying forms of depression while at the same time fuelling his Mother, Jill (Sally Hawkins/HAPPY GO LUCKY), neurosis with pharse such as “My body is a shell. I’ve been dead for years”. At school he wonders the playground in his duffel coat dreaming up ways to ensnare a girlfriend to up his ‘street credit’. He zeroes in on Jordana (Yasmin Paige/MURDERLAND) a bully loving, pyromaniac with eczema. To woo her he decides to torment the local fat girl, something he doesn’t wish to do but it gets the job done. Whilst winning over the girl he also attempts to save his parents marriage from a new age ninja, self help nieghbour played by Paddy Considine (DEADMAN’S SHOES). The journey of keeping his parents together and being the perfect boyfriend is in no way smooth and Oliver learns that he can’t solve everything, especially when faced with Jordana’s Mother’s brain tumour and Jill’s infidelity.
SUBMARINE is and will be continuously compared to that of American filmmakers such as Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach with the films inherent coolness. But the big difference between those and that of Ayoade is he does not seem to be trying to make it cool, looking to put the story and characters first rather than style. The characters are far more endearing than the previous mentioned filmmakers who usually have characters you just wish to punch in the face such as in GREENBERG. That being said the film is produced by Ben Stiller and features probably the briefest cameo in film history from the man. There is a beautiful graininess to the film as well creating a less polished and perfect feel to the feature. It is good to see that Ayoade isn’t afraid of trying lots of different filming techniques which for the most part work such as when the girl being bullied falls into a pond and everything freezes. Unlike American high school films or TV shows the film is painfully true to what it is actually like such as being made to read out notes passed to you saying ‘whoever reads this rides cock’ or you stand up to the bully but they make you submit and get you to announce that your a gaylord.
The characters themselves are all fantastically acted out with their perfectly formed unique quirks which at times are humorous and other times heartbreaking. Considine as the new age neighbour plays the buffoon of a character beautifully without going overboard and the leading lady of Jordana is fresh and exciting since she is not idolised as the perfect girl but instead is seen as a possibly unlikeable person who enjoys cruelty, burning peoples leg hair and none of the mushy stuff. Thankfully Yasimin Paige has such charisma that you can forgive all her negative points and hope her and Oliver live happily ever after.
This film, along with Edgar Wright should be the future of British cinema as they are beating the pants of filmmakers such as Danny Boyle, Guy Ritchie and Ridley Scott bringing us hugely enjoyable films on so many different levels.
SUBMARINE is out Friday 18th March 2011 so go see it now.
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