NZFF: Submarine

Festivals: Toronto, London 2010; Sundance, Berlin 2011

Set with an excruciating eye for period tack in '80s Swansea, this Brit hit marks the auspicious directorial debut of TV comedian (The IT Crowd) and Arctic Monkeys clip whiz Richard Ayoade. Based on Welsh poet Joe Dunthorne’s novel, it introduces the po-faced Craig Roberts as its narrator/protagonist Oliver, a duffle-coated, world-straddling teenage genius tragically unrecognised in provincial Wales, and Yasmin Page as the pyromaniac bad girl of his dreams. Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor are the frazzled parents about whom Oliver worries a lot, with Paddy Considine as the New Age guru who threatens to come between them. — BG

“Ayoade has finally found his cinematic feet. And, boy, can he dance. Submarine is, simply, a joy. A joy jostled by the comedy of discomfort, sure, but like early Wes Anderson (a comparison that no doubt makes Ayoade squirm, but his film bears it well), its quirkier and darker tendencies are leavened by the warmth and likeability of his characters. Ayoade even manages to make you sympathise with Paddy Considine’s mullet-crested bullshit guru... Besides flagging up his love for the medium through savvy visual references and some well-played fourth wall-breaking… Ayoade has also cast his debut perfectly.” — Dan Jolin, Empire

“Like the eccentric, hyperactive teenage mind into which Submarine torpedoes us, Ayoade’s film barely rests, darting between Oliver’s everyday routine and his memories, fantasies, fears, oddball observations and quasi-philosophical musings… Like the most successful forays into adolescent existence, Submarine doesn’t quite feel like it’s made by a grown up.” — Isabel Stevens, Sight & Sound