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Toronto – I have a nonchalant disposition with regards to seeing stars. If I see them, is there reciprocity? Are they breaking the laws of physics if they don’t see me in return? If I don’t see them, do they not exist? I find that they are as distant and rare as astronomic stars, which reflects highly on the modern vernacular for celebrity. That also speaks to the “loneliness of the universe”, I guess. So when Cameron Bailey came on stage to ask an awkwardly suppressed Ben Stiller to introduce the director, I felt eerily at peace not reaching for my iphone camera. But how often do you see Moss? Fine. Ayoade being the director and this being the film’s debut, it’s hard to imagine him not showing up. But I was really surprised that his voice really was THAT hilarious. Just hearing the man work through the English vocabulary and say “dense vegetation” (Wintergarden’s roof, btw, is covered by fake foliage and ivy vines) can incite the entire crowd into a prolonged laughter. I think that hilarity is well-used here. Submarine is not a depressing film. In fact it has a happy ending for everyone involved. It just has a Superbad vibe about the way it’s done.

Our protagonist Oliver Tate lives at the top of the hill over looking a small town. As such, he feels that his is the best mind in the game and all others are inferior. He is, in fact, just very introverted and only recently reached adolescence. Chief amongst the many thoughts going through that first-rate mind of his is getting the girl. But just as he was working up to it, he discovered that his parents are inanimately drifting apart. Years of mundane living has reduced their marriage to the roommate stage. To make Oliver’s life harder, the new neighbor turns out to be none other than his mom’s first love. Nice. Oliver isn’t going to take this one sitting down. So, as he juggles the already unbalanced Jordana, he must also take on a detective and marriage councilor role for his parents. He will either be a man and carry this to the happy ending, or he will be burnt and get out while he’s 14. Either way, he’s laughing.

As far as a pigeon-hole, I would pin Submarine as teen drama. But that’s if films like Lat den ratte komma in (Let the right one in) is also in this bin. In fact I find some similarity here, if we cast aside the fact that vampires don’t really exist but it’s fairly simple to have a dysfunctional, Gothic girlfriend who lights matches for fun. Both films portray the near-invincibility of nascent, puppy-love in nearly-barren surroundings. But I much prefer how Let the right one in is told: through action and shear drama of the situations. The only thing stringing Oliver and Jordana along (yes, besides the sweet, folky sound of Alex Turner’s soundtrack) is Oliver’s incessant cerebral conversation with the audience. If Ayoade was in front of the microphone he might be able to make it work; or if every one of the kids had a line each time they came into view: anything but first-person. As it is, I was a little annoyed in the end. Craig Roberts and Yasmin Page were both very convincing in their roles, fully armed with expressive body-language. I would have loved it if Sally Hawkins had a bigger role – her take on the near-miss MILF, against Craig’s suspecting Oliver created some of the best moments of this film. They didn’t deliver in the Q&A, though. Ayoade stole the show again, with his stars mumbling and barely articulate. It smashes the illusion of the film, another reason why I was put off by the intellectual, internal dialogues prior to the credits. Submarine is smartly crafted, for certain. I’ve read comparison to Wes Anderson – unfair, in my opinion. If we replaced Jordana with a golden robot, and had much less film-grains in Oliver’s home-made movie, we would be closer to the mark. Ayoade’s Submarine is organic with feelings, but hidden behind smug narration and conspicuous cultural spices that take away from its original intention. This is his directing debut, I believe. So I’m sure there’s something else behind the glasses, already brewing, that will surprise even loyal fans.

Submarine plays next: Sunday, September 19, 6pm (Varsity 8)