Review of Submarine (2011) by Chris W — 16 Jan 2012

Written and directed by Richard Ayoade (Moss of The IT Crowd) adapted from the 2008 novel by Joe Dunthorne, and produced by Ben Stiller, this is a weird, quirky comedy, done in an old school manner. But, at heart, it's a coming-of-age teen romance.

Think Bill Forsyth meets Wes Anderson and set in Wales, and Ayoade has all the makings of a great director. Set sometime in the 1980's in Swansea, 15 year old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is convinced he's a genius but he is socially inept and pretentious, things at home aren't much better either, his father Lloyd (Noah Taylor) is a marine biologist who used to have his own show, but is in a depressive rut, and his mother Jill (Sally Hawkins) is having an affair with neighbour Graham (Paddy Considine), a new age guru who used to be her boyfriend.

Oliver falls for Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige), who is straight talking but odd, but when Jordana's mother is diagnosed with a brain tumour, he cuts her off so that Jordana can deal with her mother, big mistake.

Plus, there's also the little matter of his mother Jill's affair with Graham, which he intends to sort out. It's very weird, but it has a very likeable quality about it. It's like a British Rushmore, and it has some offbeat editing and camerawork, but it works, and it'll take a while to sink in.

It's shot like a French New Wave film, only set in Wales. We haven't seen the last of Ayoade as a director.