bri

I’m not sure how coherent this will be, but I’ve tried to organise my argument as best as possible

Solitaire’s influences/media similar to Solitaire that I’m going to talk about are:

1. Submarine (2010)

2. Lydia Graham (model since 2010s)

3. Robert Sheehan (actor)’s characters in Misfits (2009-2010) and The Road Within (2014)

4. Bon Iver (band)’s albums from 2008 and 2011

So, the timeline of the media/influences I’m focusing on is 2008-2014. This timeline ends with the year of the book release of Solitaire, meaning that this media was present and known before and during its creation.

Moving into the analysis of the media/influences in order:

1. Submarine (2010)

‘Submarine’ written and directed by Richard Ayoade is the only film that I can think of which is similar to my idea of a solitaire film . ‘Submarine’ is explicitly mentioned in Solitaire and Tori reblogs screen caps from it. This action for me shows a link between the aesthetics, characters and story of ‘Submarine’ to Solitaire- they are both stories with incredibly wintry aesthetics (they literally take place in the new year) which focus on teenage growth and relationships. What’s more, the humour in Solitaire and ‘Submarine’ is similar- incredibly dark and dry- something which Richard Ayoade is renowned for. For these reasons, Richard Ayoade would have been able to craft Solitaire into a film which reflects the true darkness of the book in every way (aesthetically, emotionally and comedically), and I feel like he would be the only director to do the story justice, given his work with Submarine.

2. Lydia Graham

Lydia Graham has been a model since the 2010s, not an actress. Despite this, Alice Oseman used Lydia Graham as her face claim for Tori back in 2014 (when solitaire came out). This feels significant to me since the author seemed to have a specific idea of Tori in her head, and it would have been nice to see this original choice of actor used for the character- it feels authentic (if that makes sense?) Also, it is worth mentioning that had there been a solitaire film circa 2008-2014, Lydia would have been the perfect age to act as Tori- especially when compared to Jenny Walser who was significantly older than 16 when casted. Age accurate casting is important to me because young people are susceptible to comparing themselves to these ‘teen’ characters when they are often played by adults. I don’t need to get into how damaging this is for young people, but I do think having an age accurate casting like Lydia Graham would have heightened the rawness of a Solitaire film.

3. Robert Sheehan

Robert Sheehan is an exceptional actor overall, but his performances from ‘Misfits’ 2009 and ‘The Road Within’ (2014) prove him to be the perfect Michael. His performance as Nathan Young in Misfits from 2009-2010 parallels the humour and sharpness of Michael perfectly, and his role as Vincent in ‘The Road Within’ shows he would’ve portrayed Michael’s complexity and anger so well. Also, similar to Lydia Graham, Alice Oseman has said that Robert Sheehan circa this time period would have been the perfect Michael, and on the chronic-pessimist blog Tori/Alice said that if Tori had a crush, it would be on Robert Sheehan. Once again, this feels like the author envisioned a specific portrayal of Michael which could have been fun to see, since Robert would have been a good age to play Michael (very early 20s- which is ok given Michael was 18 in Solitaire, unlike Jenny being mid 20s playing mid teens).

4. Bon Iver

The music of Bon Iver produced circa 2008-2014 would have reflected the tone of Solitaire so well if used in a film. Alice Oseman has said that she wrote the book with Bon Iver’s album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ (2008) on repeat, Bon Iver is played by Tori in Solitaire, and the only Bon Iver song on the official Solitaire playlist that Alice Oseman made is from an album released in 2011 (when the book is set). To me, it’s clear that the feeling and composition of Bon Iver songs mirror that of Solitaire’s story- if you listen to a Bon Iver song, you’ll know what I mean. So, a film circa 2009-2014 using Bon Iver would have been appropriate because this music already has a history with the creation of this story, creating a more truthful Solitaire adaptation.

Overall, I truly feel that a Solitaire film produced around the time of its influences and similar popular media would have been the only adaptation to do the story justice. An attempt to place the story in the teenage word today would cheapen the depth of the material. Teen culture and YA media overall has significantly changed-the popularity of tumblr then vs tiktok today, the gritty content and dark humour of late teen shows like ‘skins’ and ‘misfits’ then vs shows like ‘Riverdale’ today. These changes in culture and media content obviously affect behaviour and reception, so a story with the Solitaire aesthetic today wouldn’t feel as realistic or be as popular as it would have been. Having a Solitaire film that represents the story in all its truth would only have been possible if the film had been made before 2014.

If you stayed until this long just know I feel like this rn