Through having Oliver speak directly to the audience through voiceover, I think that we are able to empathise more with him and understand his actions. It brings a different feel to the film; it adds personality and quirkiness, and allows us to experience the events as if we were involved in them. Therefore, I think the film engages the audience more than it would have without Oliver's narration. Also, in my opinion, the voiceover is what makes the film so funny - Oliver's dry, witty and sometimes precocious lines are the film's best feature!
There is definitely a gap between how Oliver sees himself and the reality that we see onscreen! His self pity and self importance is hilarious, but at the same time his view on life is quite bleak and sad. He talks almost as if the world revolves around him - however at the same time his humour is quite self depricating - and he seems to think he can orchestrate everybody's life and solve everyone's problems. Contrary to what I would expect, this makes him very likeable and real and also makes the audience sympathise with the awkward situations he finds himself in. I also think that everybody could relate to thinking that you've the ability to solve every problem in the world, whereas in reality you have trouble sorting your own ones out!
I think that the film is quite literary in a few ways; it has a clear beginning, middle and end, it is narrated by the main character and it sets the scene in quite a lot of detail. In addition to this, it reminds me of books that are set out like a journal or diary; it's very personal and the impression you're given of each character comes from the point of view of one person (Oliver). However, I think that there are many things that stand out in the film that could not be in a book; the music, the quick cuts between different clips, the freeze frames as a character is introduced or a scene is described by Oliver.
I think it is important for British films to show real landscapes / cityscapes of everyday life, because it makes the film easier for the audience to relate to, and it allows them to 'see themselves' in the characters more. Although more 'grand' landscapes may be necessary in some films, in films like 'Submarine' where it's intended to be realistic and personal, it's much better to include places which are more recognizable to the people watching. In this film, I don't think an overly polished location, or one that was too run-down or gritty would have fit in with the tone of the humour / irony used.
