Richard Ayoade has come a long way since directing ‘AD/BC: A ROCK OPERA’ a small TV Movie that was shown in 2004. Now, with many other series under his belt and a few Arctic Monkeys music videos too, his debut cinema hit ‘Submarine’, which won best film at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, threw the audiences away with its indie feel and dramatic approach.
Adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel, Submarine shows the life of a young teenage boy named Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) and his relationships with both his parents and “hard hearted” girlfriend, Jordana Bevon (Yasmin Paige). The film also goes on to show how Oliver tries to deal with the stress of being a socially awkward teenager, whilst having only two goals; losing his virginity and classically trying to stop his regret filled mother from canoodling with the family’s next door neighbour. The narrative of the film skitters between the problems Craig has concerning his parents, including their personal relationship, and the problems Craig has with Jordana along with her family life. Overall, this creates a very active plot, meaning the audience will, at most, very rarely become disinterested.
Craig Roberts, whom most teen audiences would recognise as Rio from ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker’ (regarding their younger days) or, most recently, as Adam from ‘Becoming Human’, both of which, are small TV hits. However, expect some great acting because, it seems, that Craig Roberts has certainly come of age in this coming of age comedy. Starring alongside Craig are also Paddy Considine and Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins, a multi award winning actress. But, if A-list actors aren’t sufficient, Alex Turner from well known indie band ‘Arctic Monkeys’ also wrote and sang various songs for the film. This is truly a film that will stay with audiences of all ages. The classic humour adds a laughable approach to the film whilst the drama and the realistic emotions of normal teenage life don’t just show how easy it is to slip “into the deep”, but also allow for some heart tugging scenes. Alice Moulding
THE VERDICT: Sharp and witty, a must see for all the awkward teenagers out there in need of some comfort.
Certificate 15 Director Richard Ayoade Starring Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor. Screenplay Richard Ayoade Distributor Weinstein Company Running Time 97minutes
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