Submarine

Greetings again from the darkness. A UK version of a teen comedy is quite a different experience than a US teen comedy. Maybe it's the source material from Joe Dunthorne's novel or maybe it's the deft touch of first time director Richard Ayoade. Either way, there is much more depth and emotion involved here ... not just sight gags.

The two leads are Craig Roberts as Oliver and Yasmin Paige as Jordana. Watching the way these two work so hard at not appearing to like each other perfectly captures the teen dance. Once they do get together, the film does a nice job of creating those perfect moments of doubt, discovery and subtle humiliation.

Oliver is carrying quite the burden. He strives to be the perfect boyfriend, but is also very concerned about the slow collapse of his parents' marriage. This problem is enhanced when his mom's old lover moves in across the street. Graham Purvis is some self-proclaimed mystic healer who somehow gets people to pay attention to his words, despite driving around town in a van with his face painted on the side.

Oliver's parents are played by Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins. Taylor is superb as the quietly suffering loner who has no concept of what makes a relationship. Hawkins is the disillusioned wife eager to recapture the magic of her youth ... even if it is with a goofball mystic played by Paddy Considine.

I have to point out that Craig Roberts, who plays Oliver, is the spitting image of a young Bud Cort ... and even has some of Cort's mannerisms from the classic Harold and Maude. Mostly Oliver and Jordana are just two regular teenagers fighting angst, depression and self-doubt, not to mention REAL issues like disinterested parents and a very sick mother. Turns out, being a teen is every bit as tough in the UK as it is in the US ... but the dialogue is much better!

Dead pan humour is the order of the day with Submarine. Understated lines such as "my mum gave a hand job to a mystic" could go unnoticed by an inattentive audience; every exchange has a hidden reward if picked up on. There are of course obvious jokes throughout, however the true comedy is found in Oliver Tate's voice over and interactions.

Casting Craig Roberts as Oliver Tate was a masterstroke and much of the film's success is based on his performance. The imaginative and peculiar schoolboy analyses everything, often conjuring up fictional events which parody mainstream movies. In one such hypothetical situation he sees Jordana (Yasmin Paige) by the shore and runs to her, meanwhile his narration explains that it isn't her standing there, a stranger turns around.

Submarine is a simple coming of age story, without the solid plot of the British film veterans. A little slow paced on occasion, it could have done with an extra thread of story. In essence the narrative follows two strands, the relationship between Oliver and Jordana and between Oliver and his family. Trying to date Jordana and reignite the spark between his parents isn't a small task, not that that fazes Oliver.

Submarine is devilishly funny, a true gem and I hope it doesn't stay under the radar of most cinema goers for much longer.

"Submarine" is Welsh. It opens, at least in North America it does, with a letter from its protagonist (Oliver) to Americans; educating us that Wales is a country located next to England. Although thankful that America has not yet invaded his country, Oliver informs us that this is an important film which we should treat with the utmost respect.

Don't worry, it's okay to laugh; you're supposed to. This is a teen coming-of-age comedy. Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is like a young, Welsh hero of a Wes Anderson film. Gangly and awkward he struggles with popularity in school, but when he imagines his own funeral, the entire country mourns. He bullies one girl to try and impress another but then writes a long letter not so much repenting his guilt but teaching her how to be cool. The dialogue, like Oliver, is precocious but hilarious with a surprisingly fresh feel considering how tired the genre has become.

Oliver tries to win the girl and become the best boyfriend in the world, and he also has to be the best son in the world to save his parents' marriage. In both adventures, he uses psychology books (usually found in routine searches of his parents' bedroom) to ensure his actions accurately reflect his intentions. If you can guess how his plans may go awry, then you are the right audience for this very funny film.

His father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor) is a depressed marine biologist, while his mother Jill (Sally Hawkins) is inappropriately attracted to their neighbour, an old boyfriend of hers. He's a mystic, theatrical performer, and Oliver and Lloyd are the only ones that see it for the nonsense that it is. Lloyd is like a grown-up, Welsh hero of a Wes Anderson film and I loved how they included the father of the protagonist as a main character and showed that although he was more mature, still not any more in tune with the ways of the world around him.

It has some slightly dark twists, but "Submarine" succeeds because it never lets up the humour or the quirky tone. Funny? Yes. Important? No, but I certainly get the joke.

We had the pleasure of seeing and listening to Richard Ayoade in person at last night's screening at the Glasgow Film Festival.

I am normally a bit scared of coming-of-age movies, mainly because of potential cheesiness and annoying child actors but Submarine managed to an accurate, funny portrayal of the hell of teenage UK school life. There were some slightly Adrian Mole-esque moments but that's not a bad thing.

The audience at the screening seemed to think that the whole thing was a rip-roaring comedy and laughed at points which were obviously supposed to be more poignant or sad. Overall, however, the tone is one of wry comedy at the horrors of growing up and even subjects such as brain tumors & divorce are treated as lightly heartedly as possible.

Don't be put off that Ben Stiller's production company was behind funding the film - it has nothing in common with a Hollywood teen movie. One of the best British films we have seen.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at The Toronto film festival a few nights ago and I absolutely loved it! I had no expectations going in, since it was the directorial debut for Richard Ayoade. He did a wonderful job with this film. It was beautifully shot and directed and the cast, although unknowns to me were unbelievably good! I didn't understand a few jokes since I didn't understand a bit of the British humour, but most of the jokes were universally understandable which is great. Overall I gave it a 9 out of 10 and I can't wait until it gets distributed worldwide so I can see it again. I hope Richard Ayoade starts working on another film soon, because I'm excited to see what else he can do.