Saturday, January 29, 2011

We all live in a strange, quirky submarine.

The British seem to be particularly adept at creating quirky teen characters with exceptional language skills.  Submarine by writer/director Richard Ayoade proves this point.  Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is the central character in this coming-of-age story, a teen who's trying to navigate the tricky waters of young love.


Oliver, as with many British teen characters, is lovable for his serious approach to love and life.  And for his brilliant daydreams.  The opening sequence where Oliver imagines his death and how it will affect his classmates is brilliant. 


The object of Oliver's 15-year-old desire is Jordana (Yasmin Paige), who may be the real star of this movie.  I loved her and her bright red coat which offered a surprising antidote to the movie's lovely, muted color scheme.


I'm not sure if this movie was about Oliver or his parents, whose marriage suffers from shyness, boredom, and a lack of bedroom flair.  But either way, this is a movie that might not be worth a trip to your local art-house cinema, but is definitely worth adding to your Netflix list.


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