Before I start properly, I think its probably important to mention that I've never really seen a true independent film before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect of Submarine. Thankfully though, I wasn't disappointed - isn't that always the way? You look forward to a film, you see it, you hate it.
Submarine was directed and written by the marvellous Richard Ayoade ala, The IT Crowd. From this I did expect to be creased up in laughter for most of this film, but I wasn't. It had its funny moments - mainly funny, ever so slightly, cringy moments, but this surprising lack of rip-roaring comedy didn't detract from the film at all. In fact, I would say that it was better without it; this film is definitely not a straight comedy. It follows Oliver Tate your average teenage boy (on the surface at least..) who lives in a very small, very welsh town. He has his eye set upon the girl of his dreams, Jordana; the very mysterious, pretty, sort of bully girl who likes setting fire to things. If the stress of securing Jordana as his girlfriend wasn't enough, he also has to deal with his parents, Lloyd and Jill (the FABULOUS, Sally Hawkins) whose marriage is at breaking point.
The whole film is seen through Oliver's eyes, so you see every paranoid delusion and every worry he has. It sounds clichéd, but this film - particularly Oliver's character - is deeper than your average teen flick, mainly because it seems as though Oliver is bordering on depression, like his Father. This creates some very emotional scenes, particularly with Jordana. His character definitely appears far older than he is supposed to be, and I think this really aids your connection with his character - the most important part of a film, of course!
The most wonderful thing about Submarine, was definitely the soundtrack which was performed and written by Alex Turner (Yes, the guy from Arctic Monkeys) which was just beautiful. It was very slow, ballad type indie, which fit perfectly with the film and particularly Oliver's character, who does look a little bit like Alex Turner...Yum. Anyway, the soundtrack is available to buy on itunes as an EP for around £4 - bargain! So, if you don't see the film, which you all should! You should definitely give the soundtrack a go, its gorgeous.
So, before I leave you all to check your cinema listings to see when Submarine is on, I will leave you a cheeky picture, to tickle those film taste buds!
You didn't think I'd leave you without a lovely picture, did you?
I saw this last week. I absolutely loved it :D And it was great that I recognised some of the places in Barry! x
ReplyDelete