Submarine (2011)

Let's be realistic.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

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.

A mother explaining to her kid about her being *adventurous* but not *adventurous enough* with the neighbor, while the father manages half a grin at the possibilities that she did not explore. A kid romanticizing life as well as death. Don't we all! This is a beautiful story and the first para here does not even give away the one in top 10 of the story's best parts. So many of us believe that we are older in thoughts than in our age ( Side Note - till we actually become old and pretend to be younger). The movie magnifies the thoughts that a precocious child, or so he thinks he is, goes through. Given our likely disposition to overestimate ourselves, the movie is both funny and nostalgic in a very relatable way!

I have just watched Submarine and I think that Richard Ayoade is one of the best indie directors today.I think that this is one of the best coming of age movies ever made and is an extremely underrated film.The one flaw with this movie is not to do with the film itself but it's with the marketing. This film was marketed as a comedy, this film is not a comedy but a very emotional, excellent piece of art.It has outstanding performances by Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor and Paddy Considine.The soundtrack by Alex Turner is also excellent and fits in perfectly with the film.

Submarine is a coming of age teen romance, dramedy set in Wales directed by newcomer Richard Ayoade. The movie possesses far more charm than most adolescent dramedies while dealing with delicate topic's adolescents face such as romance and family deterioration. The movie revolves around 15 year old Oliver Tate as he undergoes a period of striving for meaning in life while attempting to keep his parents relationship alive. He develops a romantic relationship with a girl called Jordanna which aids to the progression of the story and Oliver's development.The movie is very quirky projecting a deadpan like humor consistently through out all the actors. The cinematography is beautiful due to the beautiful camera angles and the entertaining scenery. Even though a lot of the movie takes place in industrial places the imagery still looks stunning. A couple of scenes ran to long and I felt they could have been changed or switched for other scenes.Over all 7.5/10 good film definitely worth watching.