I was looking for movies capturing the nostalgic aspect of teenager movies, when a friend of mine recommended me Submarine. While I didn't quite find what I was looking for, Submarine prove itself to be a very enjoyable movie.
The story follows the teenager Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a british high schooler, who set two objectives to achieve: firstly, to lose his virginity, and secondly, to fix his parents deadbedroom-syndrome and with it, their marriage. While the plot itself is very similar of those teenager movies Hollywood turns out twice of thrice a year, Submarine puts the trope in a very British frame. The analytic monologues of Oliver, the light, humour-infused surrealism, and the creative camera work really separates this movie from its peers.
I found the acting a bit ambivalent. Yasmin Paige (Jordana) was outstanding in my opinion, she aced all the different attitudes of her character: Jordanas spleen and edge was just as authentic as her smiling and actually having fun, or caring deeply for her mother. Craig Roberts appealed to me aswell, Olivers monotonous or rather apathetic mood was very well played (especially the awkward smiles and angsty body language). The excellent chemistry of the two leads resulted in a very honest and lifelike portrayal of early teenage relationships, with all the cosmetics (e.g. the preconceptions about love, relationship roles and small mind games) on-point. However, the other characters, including Olivers parents and Graham, were forgettable in my opinion - their attitudes came off as boring. I felt like it was the main reason the marriage plotline was a bit stale for me.
Submarine could have been one of my favorite movies, had I seen it in my teenage years; as an adult, it is still a very entertaining and refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre.
The story follows the teenager Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a british high schooler, who set two objectives to achieve: firstly, to lose his virginity, and secondly, to fix his parents deadbedroom-syndrome and with it, their marriage. While the plot itself is very similar of those teenager movies Hollywood turns out twice of thrice a year, Submarine puts the trope in a very British frame. The analytic monologues of Oliver, the light, humour-infused surrealism, and the creative camera work really separates this movie from its peers.
I found the acting a bit ambivalent. Yasmin Paige (Jordana) was outstanding in my opinion, she aced all the different attitudes of her character: Jordanas spleen and edge was just as authentic as her smiling and actually having fun, or caring deeply for her mother. Craig Roberts appealed to me aswell, Olivers monotonous or rather apathetic mood was very well played (especially the awkward smiles and angsty body language). The excellent chemistry of the two leads resulted in a very honest and lifelike portrayal of early teenage relationships, with all the cosmetics (e.g. the preconceptions about love, relationship roles and small mind games) on-point. However, the other characters, including Olivers parents and Graham, were forgettable in my opinion - their attitudes came off as boring. I felt like it was the main reason the marriage plotline was a bit stale for me.
Submarine could have been one of my favorite movies, had I seen it in my teenage years; as an adult, it is still a very entertaining and refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre.