At this point, making coming-of-age films about misunderstood high-school loners with amusing haircuts is all downside. We’ve all seen eleventy million movies like that. Precious soundtrack full of proto-emo bands so underground the members haven’t even met yet, slangy dialog so hip that you’ll never hear it on the lips of an actual person. I’m getting a little surly just thinking about it.
Fortunately, this is not that. I mean, it most certainly could have been. All the elements are there. Ineffectual, shoegazing hero who longs to lose his virginity with a girl too cool for him, check. Crazy, embarrassing homelife that makes our protagonist afraid to open his heart? Yes. Bullies who chase our hero around in skeleton suits? No, but the bullies probably have skeleton suits at home.
‘Submarine’ is set in Wales, and some of the accents were thick enough to make me really focus. Oliver, our hero, is a shy nerd with shy nerd parents who are going through a fairly prolonged rough patch. He longs for the attentions of his classmate Jordana,but is clearly unprepared to receive them when they are offered. Complicating their courtship is the resurfacing of Oliver’s mom’s ex, who seems to be rekindling the old flame. A goodly portion of this film concerns itself with Oliver’s attempts to head off that reconciliation in cringe-inducing and ill-considered ways.
The performances of the young leads are good – so good that I quickly forgot how many times I’ve watched quirky, angsty dorks try to become men onscreen. Oliver’s parents are also quite solid and appealing characters. The cinematography is beautiful and the screenplay has a lot of honestly earned laughs.
I liked it. Like a lot of arty stuff at SIFF, it’s hard to say whether it’s going to get a wide theatrical release. That said, it will definitely be on video pretty soon, and when it is you should watch it. Unless you hate things that are funny, sweet, sad, silly and visually striking.
You should also see ‘Gregory’s Girl.’ This film reminds of some of the things I like about that one.
