Submarine: twee, awkward, amazing

It’s not often that a film can reach out and touch the inner awkward teenager within all of us. As someone whose inner awkward teenagers is still thriving and very much in her prime, Submarine’s hilariously uncomfortable dialogue and the cringeworthy actions of the protagonist, Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), came very close to the bone. After all, who hasn’t imagined their own funeral, complete with national shrine-building and hoards of mourners crippling at the nationally-announced news of their death? Oh, nobody else. I guess it’s just you and I, Oliver. Submarine is the brilliant Richard Ayode’s directing debut, and the film was a brilliant move for him, as it will undoubtedly become a cult favourite, along with his other works including the IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi and the Mighty Boosh. Set in dingy but somehow twee Swansea, Submarine follows the life of fifteen year old Oliver Tate, who sees himself as a tortured linguist but in reality is regrettably an adorable but unpopular social leper. Tate has a creepy crush on an exam-ridden and fire-obsessed classmate Jordana (Yasmin Paige), and after a few romantic sacrifices, they become involved in a cute but slightly awkward relationship. Although smitten with his lady, Tate becomes obsessed with the dwindling romance between his nerdy dad Lloyd (Noah Taylor)and MILFy mum Jill (Sally Hawkins), especially when an old spark Graham (Paddy Considine) moves in next door. As Tate’s romance with beautiful but strange Jordanna develops, he has to choose between intervening in the collapse of his parents’ marriage or supporting his girlfriend in her hour of need.

Accompanied by the beautiful drone of Alex Turner, Submarine is essentially the story of a teenage boy trying to cope with relationships; be that of his parents, or his own. I would call this a ‘coming of age’ film, if I knew exactly what that phrase actually meant, but for now I’ll call it a tragic wonder. And I don’t mean tragic in an ‘Ian Curtis’s death was a tragic loss’ way, I mean it as in ‘that tragic woman who pushes cats around in a pram in Ashford’ way. Submarine is one of the few films with characters that really hit home for me. Although I expect very few of the audience monitor their parents’ sex lives, nor would take a date to sit in a bath near some train tracks, it is easy to relate to Oliver Tate’s comically intricate thoughts. There is something incredibly captivating about Submarine, whether you’re fifteen for fifty four.