The Perks of Being A Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower, adapted and directed by Stephen Chbosky from his own Young Adult novel, was very charming and anchored by some great performances. Though it also packs a bit of a kick at the end, it’s generally light, no matter how much teen angst is packed in. Logan Lerman stars as Charlie, a freshman entering high school with no friends and coming off a dark time. he soon meets Patrick and his step-sister Sam (Ezra Miller and Emma Watson), and through them begins to have a life, rather than just observing one.

The three leads are terrific, especially Ezra Miller, playing a complete 180 from Kevin in We Need To Talk About Kevin. Though it’s a little episodic and certain subplots are more hinted at than properly explored, the film was a joy to watch, mainly because the cast and characters were strong. Its setting is very much in past, a time when mix tapes made for loved ones were on actual tapes and no kid has a mobile phone, but is kept generic enough to not scream out ’90s’, an interesting tactic that makes its situations and scene-setting more universal, rather than generic.

Or maybe it was just good at evoking that age when hearing the perfect song could thrill you to the core and make you feel closer to the universe. Even if that song is David Bowie’s Heroes, something it’s hard to remember there was a time I’d never heard it before. All in all, I was greatly charmed, and now I kind of want to read the book.