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| Picture Credits: Cool Papa E |
“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.”
High school is often shown as a place where you countdown through unpleasant days, especially if you are unique and don’t fit in. But there’s always those little things that make you feel right at home - your friends, for instance.
They shine light on each day and impart immense sweetness and excitement to your bitter and dull moments. However, the question remains, how far can they help you survive this apparent nightmare?
Movie Name - The Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)
Directed by - Stephen Chbosky
Based on - Stephen Chbosky’s ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’(1999)
Starring - Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Nina Dobrev, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Joan Cusack, Paul Rudd
Duration - 1h 43min
Genre - Coming-of-age, Drama
Language - English
Plot (Spoiler Alert!)
Charlie (Logan Lerman) is an introverted freshman, who is anxious about beginning high school. He soon befriends two seniors - Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson) - who are step siblings - and subsequently their friends, Bob (Adam Hagenbuch), Alice (Erin Wilhelmi) and Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), who he later dates. However, he has been in love with Sam ever since he met her.
Charlie accidentally gets high during a party, where he reveals that his middle school best friend, Michael Dobson, killed himself. This provides readers an in-depth view into Charlie’s extraordinary thinking and empathy and where it stems from.
He is also close with his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), who he eventually tells the story of his sister, Candace (Nina Dobrev) being slapped by her boyfriend, leading to a turmoil in their relationship.
Patrick’s sexuality and his secret relationship with Brad (Johnny Simmons), the football quarterback is also one of the events that largely affects the plot of the novel as well as Charlie’s relationship with the rest of the group. What seemed to be a bonding experience for them, could now just tear them apart.
Characters Unmasked
Almost every character, ranging from Charlie and Sam to Patrick and Candace show various psychological scars. While Patrick goes through great emotional turmoils in living with his closeted romance and taking derogatory remarks from the person he is in love with, Candace tries to sustain a relationship with Derek, who slapped her during an argument.
On the other hand, Sam and Charlie are both child sexual abuse survivors and telling her secret to Charlie is seen as a moment of deep affinity for them. Charlie’s mental health is one of the central themes of the movie as is testimonial through his monologues to himself:
“I don't know if you've ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist. Or something like that. I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this. That's why I'm trying not to think. I just want it all to stop spinning.”
He discovers the unconsciously repressed thoughts of his favourite aunt, Helen molesting him as a child, and subsequently passing away in a car accident while getting his birthday gift, resulting in him being taken to a correctional facility for PTSD.
Director’s Inspiration
Stephen Chbosky developed the book ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ through a period of five difficult years of his life. It is semi-autobiographical, inculcating both fictional and personal aspects.
The book was written as an aftermath of Chbosky’s unpleasant break up, and was written through his college years, based on an idea he had in high school. He later wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation that he directed himself.
Critical Reception
The Perks of Being A Wallflower was first released at the 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 8th September, 2012, and went on to gross $33.4 million against a budget of $13 million. Though it originally received an R rating, it was changed to PG-13 upon appeal.
The film has received great critical acclaim, with an approval rating of 85 percent based on 168 ratings on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an overall rating of 7.40/10.
According to the website's reviewers, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heartfelt and sincere adaptation bolstered by strong lead performances." The film received three and a half stars from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who wrote in his review, "All of my previous selves still survive somewhere inside of me, and my previous adolescent would have loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower".
It was named one of the best films of the year by many, including MTV, Us Weekly and Complex.
The film won the Favorite Drama Movie award at the People's Choice Awards and the Choice Movie: Drama award at the Teen Choice Awards among a truckload of glistening nominations. Emma Watson won the Choice Movie Actress: Drama at the Teen Choice Awards, Best Supporting Actress at the San Diego Film Critics Society and the Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress at the People's Choice Awards.
Ezra Miller won the Best Supporting Actor at the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival and the Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Logan Lerman also won the Choice Movie Actor: Drama at the Teen Choice Awards.
Famous Quotes
“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand. You're a wallflower.”
“You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think it counts as love.”
“This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.”
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
The Bottom Line
“Things change. And friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody.”
Life is unpredictable and nerve-wracking, but it’s also exciting and exhilarating! This movie will speak right to your scars and leave you more hopeful and pumped up than ever before. For all of us out there fighting tooth and nail to heal, this one’s for us!
My Ratings for the movie - 5 on 5
Stream online on Netflix - The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Written By - Kristi Mazumdar
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