Submarine

Submarine (2010) is about Oliver Tate, fifteen, living in Swansea. He stages his own life as if it were a film: a narrator runs in his head, he composes scenes, and he has two objectives. Go out with a girl in his class, and save his parents' marriage, because he suspects his mother is having an affair. It is Richard Ayoade's first feature. The source is Joe Dunthorne's 2008 novel. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys wrote the songs. He said he did not feel qualified to write for film and only agreed because of his friendship with Ayoade. It was shot in Wales, mostly in Cardiff, over seven weeks in late 2009, on a budget of 1.9 million dollars. It grossed 4.6 million worldwide. Craig Roberts leads, with Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Yasmin Paige and Sally Hawkins. It runs 98 minutes. Good for: British teen comedy, formal play, and Alex Turner's songs. Less good for: Oliver is insufferable, and because the style imitates his point of view it is hard to get any distance from him. The Wes Anderson influence is very visible and some scenes feel like imitation.