Fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his parents’ marriage via carefully plotted intervention and to lose his virginity before his next birthday. Worried that his mom is having an affair with New Age weirdo Graham, Oliver monitors his parents’ sex life by charting the dimmer switch in their bedroom. He also forges suggestive love letters from his mom to dad.
Meanwhile, Oliver attempts to woo his classmate, Jordana, a self-professed pyromaniac who supervises his journal writing – especially the bits about her. When necessary, she orders him to cross things out. Based on Joe Dunthorne’s acclaimed novel, Submarine is a captivating coming-of-age story with an offbeat edge.
Submarine is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne. The film was written and directed by Richard Ayoade, and starred Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, and Sally Hawkins. Submarine is Ayoade’s directorial debut.
About the Story
Oliver Tate (played by Craig Roberts) is a 15-year-old from Swansea, infatuated with Jordana (Yasmin Paige). When Jordana invites Oliver to meet secretly after school, she takes pictures of them kissing, hoping to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. The plan backfires, but Jordana soon becomes his girlfriend.
At home, Oliver becomes concerned about his parents. His father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor), is depressed. New-age guru Graham (Paddy Considine), an ex-boyfriend of his mother, Jill (Sally Hawkins), has moved in next door, and his flirtations rouse Oliver’s suspicions.
Oliver’s relationship with Jordana grows, but he learns that her mother has a potentially fatal brain tumour. At an early Christmas dinner at Jordana’s house, he witnesses her father break down. Unsettled, he decides that the Jordana he loves is at risk because the emotional events surrounding her will “make her gooey [sentimental] on the inside”. He cuts off contact with her.
Thinking that his mother and Graham are having an affair, Oliver attempts to repair his parents’ relationship. While searching for his mother on the beach, he sees Jordana with another boy. Heartbroken he heads home; but, on the way, he sees his mother with Graham and assumes the worst. Enraged, he breaks into Graham’s house, gets drunk, and commits minor acts of vandalism. When Graham comes home, he finds Oliver but returns him home with minimal fuss. The next morning, Oliver awakes to see that both his parents aren’t angry with him and are reconciling.
Oliver remains distraught about losing Jordana; he is downhearted for weeks, until he sees her on the beach. Running towards her, he explains his actions and learns that Jordana has broken up with her new boyfriend. Together, they walk into the sea smiling. The film is left on an ambiguous note.
Submarine
Directed by: Richard Ayoade
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, Gemma Chan, Elinor Crawley, Melanie Walters
Screenplay by: Richard Ayoade
Production Design by: Gary Williamson
Cinematography by: Erik Wilson
Film Editing by: Chris Dickens, Nick Fenton
Costume Design by: Charlotte Walter
Set Decoration by: Cathy Cosgrove
Art Direction by: Sarah Pasquali
Music by: Andrew Hewitt
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Studio: The Weinsten Company
Release Date: June 3, 2011
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