Essay Draft

For my Textual analysis I am comparing the ways in which both films Submarine and LOL present the theme of coming of age through the MACRO elements: Messages and Values and Themes.
Submarine is a 2010 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne, directed by Richard Ayoade. The main character Oliver Tate is a fifteen year old boy who struggles with school popularity but when he meets a girl he is determined to impress her. Meanwhile his mother’s ex-boyfriend moves in next door, so Oliver tries to ensure his parents stay together.
The second film I am analysing is LOL, a 2012 coming of age comedy-drama-romance film directed and co-written by Lisa Azuelos. The film is a remake of the 2008 French film LOL (Laughing Out Loud).  In a world connected by Facebook and other social networks, Lola Williams and her friends navigate the peer pressures of high school romance and friendship while dodging their sometimes overbearing and confused parents.

Both films present the theme of coming-of-age in different and similar ways and I am doing a Textual Analysis to find out how the directors have done this and the reason why they have done it. Submarine and LOL, both include the same aspect of a typical coming-of-age film which is sex. The only way for a teen to grow up and 'mature' is by losing their virginity which is clearly shown in both film's as it's something that makes someone take that big step from childhood to adulthood.

The first point I am going to analyse is how teenagers struggle to grow up and become their own people by having freedom of speech. One of the two key scenes that show this idea is when Oliver’s mother is talking to him (Submarine). The scene is set in his bedroom which symbolises his only place of freedom which his mother has invaded. The way the characters are positioned in the frame shows that they are not very close and Oliver wants her to give him personal space. His mother is sitting higher than Oliver, which reinforces her control over him, whereas he is lying down looking vulnerable and under pressure. Also, the other film LOL has a scene when the main character is in a similar situation which is when Lola is in the bathroom with her mother and sister (introduction scene). Lola’s mum is not happy about her ‘grooming choices’ and is not letting Lola have her own independence to do what she likes. The director has set the scene in the bathroom to reinforce the idea that a bathroom is an intimate private place and Lola’s mother is interfering with Lola’s privacy. The dialogue clearly shows that Anne is being the dominant character and Lola doesn’t want to be told what to do. The lighting is mostly shown on Lola and Anne which illustrates that they are the most important characters in the frame and the little sister is just part of the background. The main message that both of the directors are trying to put across is: the obedience of mothers can make teenagers really irritated and it’s best to let them grow up at their own pace without treating them like children.

Secondly, family members such as your mothers/fathers play a huge part in a coming-of-age film but not always for the good reasons. Parents can be depicted in negative ways just like how I explained it in the previous paragraph. The scene in Submarine when Oliver witnesses his mum cheating on his father with her ex-boyfriend clearly conveys this idea. The lighting in the frame is very dark which creates a lurking, ominous feeling and reflects Oliver’s role during this scene as he is technically spying on his mother doing something bad. When it cuts to Oliver’s mum with her ex-boyfriend the flashing lights which reflect on the van turn from blue to red, which could represent the calm atmosphere turning into doomed destiny. Then it cuts to Oliver on his bike, with fireworks edited into the background to reflect how his mind is conflicted and confused with many thoughts of the act he has just witnessed. He has to be the mature grown up character to figure out how to save his parents from splitting up. Likewise, in LOL the scene when Lola hears the conversation between her mother and ex-husband talking reveals that they have also been secretly sneaking around behind Lola’s back. The main prop is her diary which is a typical object a teenager girl would own and it’s set in her room which indicates she is the only one that knows. Her facial expressions in the frame suggest how shocked she is by them not telling her about it. The room is messy with shoes and clothes on the floor and she is wearing slouchy clothing with her hair in a messy bun which the director has done to depict that she physically acts and looks like a teenager but mentally feels like she is an adult. Both scenes tell the audience that family can affect young people even if they are growing up. Also, some adults may have grown up the irony is that they still act like teenagers as they are sleeping around with people.  

Thirdly, one of the most common aspects of a typical coming-of-age film is sex which both films include. The scene I am going to talk about in Submarine is chapter 4. During it the viewer finds out that Oliver and Jordana have just had sex, this is because of the micro aspect: mise-en-scene. The scene is set in Oliver’s parents’ house and mostly his own room. This conveys they idea of secrecy and intimacy, and as there are no adults around, Oliver and Jordana are the adults in the house. Oliver had invited Jordana to have sex with him but she firstly didn’t want to do it but in the end they do. The first room they go into is the kitchen, and they have a romantic meal which is a typical ‘adult like’ date, then cuts to his parents’ bedroom. It’s foreshadowed that something would happen as the colour ‘red’ appeared a lot and many props, such as the bed throw and lights, were red which represents love and romance. The light is low-key and gives the impression that Oliver wants Jordana to be comfortable and a sense of privacy. The director has also done this as when the lights are low in Oliver’s parents’ bedroom he knows they are making love so he wanted to do the same. It then cuts to Oliver lying in his own bedroom, and he is not wearing any clothing on top and the viewer is not quite sure if his wearing any bottoms as it’s not shown but we get the idea he isn’t wearing anything at all. The viewer is informed that Oliver and Jordana have just had sex and have now grown up physically. Likewise, in LOL there is a scene when Lola and Kyle have sex in Paris. The scene is set in a French family’s house, as the teenagers are on a trip. Lola and Kyle are in a single bed when the viewer is revealed to something happening between them as they are the only ones in the room and are wearing underwear. There is little dialogue but it tells the audience a lot as the director has to make sure the viewer knows what is happening; Lola says that it’s her first time and the frame cuts to her mum saying the same thing but says it’s her first time since the divorce. These two different shots are parallel edited as the characters are positioned in the same place and are doing the same thing. The light is also low-key to convey privacy and close intimacy; there is only a bit on light shining on their faces to convey they are the only people in the frame and there is no other important or interesting things for the audience to look at. The micro aspects indicate the key messages that have been put across, which are that teenagers have officially grown up when they loose their virginity. The main message the director has put across in LOL is that adults can get caught up in similar situations at the same time as teens but they don’t actually realise that they can help out one another.

Overall, the two films Submarine and LOL have clear connections and contrasts to present the theme of coming of age through the MACRO elements. The two main characters in Submarine have a strong relationship which relates to the two main characters Lola and Kyle in LOL. The directors of both films have included a downfall through the narrative to show the audience how difficult it is for teens to turn into adults. However, they are affected in different ways as Oliver Tate is trying to save his parents’ marriage while in LOL, Lola is trying to figure out her real identity. Coming-of-age is portrayed in a different way to how society thinks it would be. This is because teens are depicted as animalistic, whereas in Submarine and LOL they are illustrated as mature people looking for their self identities and trying to get what they are looking for in life. Adults think that adolescents can never really grow up at such a young age as they don't know what it's like to have such big responsibilities and be able to make their own choices. Whereas, particularly in LOL, the director is trying to put across that many events that happen are very similar between adults and teens; which is ironic as you wouldn't think they could get caught up in similar situations when they can. My personal opinion concluded would be that it's not easy for adolescent’s to go from being a teenager to a young adult as there will always be something in the way that you will have to overcome to become more independent.