At first glance Submarine is a pretty average coming of age film with a protagonist of a sub par teen boy, whose goals are to lose his virginity before his sixteenth birthday and to keep his parents together. This movie is cliche in the sense that it kind of mocks cliches. Like every other teenager, Oliver, is self obsessed, but not in an overly obvious way. From the very beginning of the film he admits that he imagines how people would react to his death. He pictures candlelight in memory of him at his school and girls sobbing over his death. In this fantasy he comes back saying, "Don't ask how. Just know that I'm more powerful than ever." This scene really gives you the feel of the dry almost cynical humor that ensues through out the film.
This movie focuses a lot on Oliver's budding relationship with Jordanna, who is at first seen as a manic pixie dream girl with no purpose other than to take Oliver's virginity and up his social ranking. Since, Oliver is our protagonist we view her as he views her. He obviously sees Jordanna through rose colored glass as exemplified in the cheesy montages of their time together set to Alex Turner's melancholy soundtrack (which by the way is probably the main reason I love this movie). Then we discover how dynamic of a character she is once she confesses to Oliver that she's been struggling with her mother having a terminal illness. He realizes she has her own problems and is her own person, not just an extension of himself.
This movie not only realistically portrays adolescence through it's plot and characters' actions, but is also visually honest. The teenagers in this movie actually look like teenagers and the cast isn't unrealistically attractive. Submarine is relatable, full of great quotes, and has fantastic music, that make it a must see movie.
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