Being so far away from my school years that I remember Betamax video players and a world without Instagram, I'm not that into teen love stories, but I was more than happy to give 'Submarine' a try, based on the fact that it was directed by the (awesome!) Richard Ayoade (best known for the 'IT Crowd'). And I really enjoyed it. In fact, I bought the DVD, but have only just got round to watching it a second time again. Oddly enough... I wondered what I saw in it the first time round.
It's set in the eighties (some may call this a 'period piece' but it basically sums up the world my childhood was set in) where a teenage boy struggles with growing up. Or rather he struggles with his own inner demons surrounding what plagues many boys of that age... girls. He's fallen in love with a girl in his school and he basically has to come to a way of winning her over, while dealing with his parents possibly having marital difficulties.
So the plot is hardly original and, don't get me wrong... it's not bad. The direction is very good - I believe the term is 'meta' where the characters sometimes talk directly to the camera in scenes where the protagonist theorises on what may or may not be happening. And, although there are plenty of good lines here and there which will make you smile. Plus, if you're like me (i.e. of a certain age) you will enjoy seeing the world before smartphones. However, what didn't seem to gel with me this time was the two leads.
I found them both a bit unlikeable. They seemed so wrapped up in themselves that I found I didn't really care whether they got together and lived happily ever after or not. Maybe I've just got even older and I'm finding even less in common with the younger generation (even if the younger generation in question are the ones I grew up with!). Overall, I - sort of - enjoyed it the second time around. Like I say, it's very well directed and Richard Ayoade definitely has a future ahead of him if he ever tired of fixing computers, plus I did laugh here and there, but I probably won't watch it a third time.
