This is a story of Oliver Tate's 15th year. In his head he's a cool, literary genius. In reality he's socially inept and unpopular. Convinced that his father is depressed and his mother is having an affair with her life coach, he embarks on a hilariously misguided campaign to bring the family back together. Meanwhile, he is also trying to lose his virginity – before he turns sixteen – to his pyromaniac girlfriend Jordana. "I've always liked coming of age stories. When I read Joe Dunthorne's original novel, I loved the character of Oliver Tate, and his voice. It's a pompous, self-regarding voice. What was interesting to me is that the book was written entirely in the first person, and you don't have any description of what he looks like or what he actually sounds like", says director Richard Ayoade.
