Submarine

(Richard Ayoade, 2010)

IMDB

Set in a Welsh, 70's seaside town, Submarine is a “coming of age” story of Oliver Tate, who whilst trying to get a girlfriend, is also trying to save his parents' marriage. His bedroom is tidy, although it's a sort of organised chaos. An attic bedroom, with dark wood beams break up the sloping ceiling, painted to resemble a light blue sky with clouds. The room has a blue painted bed, surrounded by Polaroid pictures and postcards, the room is “cluttered” with boxes of comics and records and books. Plane models hang from the roof, along with a medical skeleton model.

The space seems childish yet it hints at maturity, with clothes hanging on an exposed rail and with features like a record player and a typewriter, all viewed on screen with mature and literate narration.

Abandonment is a running theme throughout, not only in the narrative, but in the scenery as well. So as not to appear “romantic”, the couple spend time together in very still, abandoned places, including a deserted industrial estate and a closed fairground. Together, Jordana and Oliver fill these dark places with light, more accurately fire. Matches, flares, bonfires and fireworks.

The entire palette for this film is an array of blues and greys, with Jordana, the object of Oliver Tate's affections, wearing a bright red coat, a seemingly flamboyant choice in this cold, welsh, seafront town. Jordana provides the excitement and colour in the otherwise very dull (nevertheless beautiful) tone of the picture.