Submarine

Plot

In the Welsh seaside city of Swansea, Oliver Tate is an eccentric, unpopular 15-year-old who is infatuated with his mischievous classmate, Jordana Bevan. After Oliver bullies another female classmate to impress Jordana, she invites him to meet secretly after school, before taking pictures of her and Oliver kissing. Jordana uses the pictures to make her ex-boyfriend Mark jealous, resulting in Oliver being beaten up by Mark at school for refusing to call Jordana a "slut". Jordana becomes Oliver's girlfriend and, after a couple of weeks, they lose their virginity to each other in his bedroom while his parents are out.

Oliver begins to suspect that his mother Jill is having an affair with a previous lover, New Age motivational speaker Graham Purvis, who has moved in next door with his girlfriend Kim-Lin. Worried about his parents' marriage, he monitors their sex life by checking the dimmer switch in their bedroom, concluding that they have not had sex for seven months. After spotting Jill in town with Graham and overhearing her talk about him on the phone, Oliver tries to warn his depressed father Lloyd, who dismisses his suspicions. Oliver spies on Jill attending one of Graham's seminars, where Graham tells her that he has broken up with Kim-Lin.

As Oliver's relationship with Jordana grows, she reveals that her mother has been diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour. At an awkward early Christmas dinner at Jordana's house, Oliver is welcomed by her parents but witnesses her father break down emotionally after a dimmer switch stops working. Despite agreeing to visit Jordana's mother at the hospital the day of her operation, Oliver loses his nerve and temporarily disappears from Jordana's life so he can focus on salvaging his parents' marriage, planning to resume his relationship with Jordana afterwards.

On the night of New Year's Eve, Jill goes to the beach with Graham. While searching for Jill on the crowded beach, Oliver is stunned to see Jordana with another boy. He then spies on his mother entering the back of Graham's van and assumes the worst. Enraged, he goes home and takes several of Lloyd's antidepressants before breaking into Graham's house, where he gets drunk and commits minor acts of vandalism. Upon returning home, Graham finds an intoxicated Oliver. Graham later drops Oliver off at his doorstep and leaves. The next morning, Oliver awakes to see that his parents are not angry with him and are reconciling, though Jill admits that she gave Graham a handjob.

Production

Development and casting

In early 2008, Joe Dunthorne, then studying at the University of East Anglia, was searching the internet for new music, when he came across a job advertisement asking for interns to apply at Warp Films. After persuading his roommate, a film student, to apply, he quickly began developing the script of Submarine, before showing it to the boss of Warp Films. Producer Mary Burke quickly optioned the screen rights, with Richard Ayoade directing the screenplay. In 2008, Dunthorne published his debut novel, Submarine, of which the film is based on. Dunthorne agreed to let Ayoade produce the film, writing "I felt like [Ayoade] really connected with the story of Submarine and had a clear vision of what he wanted to do with it". Submarine became Ayoade's feature directorial debut.

Around 100 actors submitted video auditions for the roles of Oliver, Jordana, and Chips in 2009. Michael Sheen and X Factor contestant Lucie Jones were originally cast in the film but dropped out due to other commitments. Creative director Virginia Heath stated more than 1,200 people had signed up to the casting site, and more than 100 auditions of "previously undiscovered talent" had been submitted for the roles of the film. Auditions closed on 17 August 2009. Ayoade invited Roberts and Paige to record screen tests around Barry Island, where sequences of the movie would later be shot.

Filming

Principal photography began in October 2009, with locations ranging from Swansea, Cardiff, Rhondda, and Barry. The film was primarily shot in Cardiff over the course of seven weeks. Ayoade and cinematographer Erik Wilson watched French cinema films from the 1970s for visual references; Wilson listed François Truffaut and Éric Rohmer as primary influences. The film was produced by Warp Films and Film4 Productions, working on a production budget of $1.9 million. Submarine was mostly filmed using natural light, which was mainly shot on 35mm film. A second, older 35mm camera was used for some scenic shots, although the crew initially disliked it because it "jumps a bit and is very noisy", however Ayoade insisted on using it. In the scenes where the lighting had to be adjusted, either existing fluorescents were replaced or switched off, or other bulbs were brought in. In an interview with NME magazine in 2021, Paige reflected on the filming experience fondly, stating it was one of the best experiences of her life.

Soundtrack

Following the release of English rock band Arctic Monkeys third studio album, Humbug (2009). Ayoade approached frontman Alex Turner to write the soundtrack. Turner stated that making music for a film was something he felt was not "qualified to do", but claimed that this was an exception due to his friendship with Ayoade. Turner initially intended to perform cover songs for the film, but ended up writing six original songs. The soundtrack was recorded in April 2010 at One Inch studios in London, with frequent collaborator James Ford serving as producer. Turner and Ford played most of the instruments, while Bill Ryder-Jones played guitar on the tracks "Hiding Tonight", and "It's Hard To Get Around The Wind". The strings for the song "Piledriver Waltz" were recorded at Air Studios in London, and arranged by Owen Pallett. The original score was composed by Andrew Hewitt, long-time collaborator of Ayoade, recorded at Air Studios with the Composers Ensemble orchestra. The soundtrack was released on 14 March 2011, just a few days before the film made its debut in the United Kingdom. Since its release, several music critics have compared the soundtrack to the works of Richard Hawley, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, John Lennon, Roy Orbison, Scott Walker, and Cat Stevens's soundtrack for Harold and Maude.

Release

Submarine premiered at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2010. Following a generally positive reception, distribution rights for the film were bought by The Weinstein Company for a North American release, for a purchase of $1 million. The film also played at the 54th London Film Festival in October 2010 and was additionally played at the 27th Sundance Film Festival in January 2011. It was also screened along with 400 other films at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival the next month. The film was officially released in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2011, later being released in the United States on 3 June. Submarine had a limited theatrical release, initially playing in only 59 cinemas across the United Kingdom, before entering a wide release soon after due to high ticket demands. The film would later see a DVD release on 4 October, with Anchor Bay Entertainment distributing the film.

Box office

Submarine grossed $467,602 in the United States and Canada, along with $4.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $4.6 million. The film earned a total of $41,832 on its opening weekend in the United States. In its second weekend, Submarine finished with $55,848. By its third weekend, the film had surpassed Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules with $58,291. In its fourth and fifth weekends, it earned $42,103, and $27,232 respectively. By its sixth weekend, Submarine had earned a total of $377,807 domestically. In its final week in August 2011, it concluded with $3,196.

Critical reception

Submarine received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 156 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Funny, stylish, and ringing with adolescent truth, Submarine marks Richard Ayoade as a talent to watch." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Critic Roger Ebert gave it a positive review, saying, "It flaunts some stylistic devices, such as titles and sections and self-aware narration, but it doesn't try too hard to be desperately clever. It's a self-confident work for the first-time director." Noel Murray of The A.V. Club praised the film for the way it was shot, explaining, "Submarine is funny and stylish, shot in a way that gives the recent past an archaic glow, as though lit by candlelight and the setting sun." Ray Bennett, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, called the film "Jaunty and sly with great many laughs". Dan Jolin of Empire gave the film a four out of five stars, stating "Submarine is, simply, a joy. A joy jostled by the comedy of discomfort." Sharon Waxman of TheWrap compared Submarine to other films like Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and Bottle Rocket (1996).

Sophie Williams of The Guardian cites the film as her feel-good movie, writing "It was during this state of unrest that Richard Ayoade's Submarine waltzed into my world. It might be a curious choice to name a film that traverses a troubled home life, too-much-too-young sexual experiences, and bullying as my feel-good movie, but within its equally dark and peppy 97 minutes is a story about writing your own rules." Peter Bradshaw, also writing for The Guardian, found the film funny and sweet in his review, and also cited Ayoade as a "tremendous new voice in British film". Additionally, Peter Debruge of Variety praised the film for how well it stands out in its genre, writing, "Submarine rises above the genre's tired, cookie-cutter competition, presenting familiar elements, such as preternaturally articulate teens preoccupied with virginity, through fresh eyes." Matt Goldberg of Collider praised the film for its visual style, writing "Submarine is a must-see film that will make you laugh, [and] dazzle you with its visual prowess". Submarine has been considered a cult classic since its release, with its story structure having been compared to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).

Accolades

Submarine was nominated for and won multiple awards from numerous film organizations and festivals. It was nominated for five British Independent Film Awards, and was awarded one at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards, with Ayoade receiving the award for "Best Screenplay". Ayoade was also nominated for the Douglas Hickox Award, but lost to Tyrannosaur (2011). Additionally, Hawkins was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress", along with Roberts and Paige being nominated for "Most Promising Newcomer".

At the 65th British Academy Film Awards, Ayoade was nominated for the "Outstanding Debut" award. In addition, producers Mary Burke, Mark Herbert, and Andy Stebbing won the award for "Best Feature Film" at the BAFTA Cymru awards in 2012, with Roberts also receiving the award for "Best Actor". Roberts also won the award for "Young British Performer of the Year" at the 2011 London Film Critics Circle Awards. The Giffoni Film Festival awarded the film the "Jury Grand Prix" award in 2011, and Ayoade was nominated "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2012 Evening Standard British Film Awards for his direction.