A beautiful film about true love and friendship

We are all faced with challenges, life is full of them. It is how we choose to face those challenges that ultimately make us who we are. Every now and then, a film gets growing up right. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those film that not only gets it right, but does with integrity.

Charlie is facing his first day of highschool, he doesn’t have any friends and is counting the days until he is done. His life changes when he meets Patrick and Sam, who start showing him the true value of friendship. A long the way Charlie must deal with growing up, the problems he has faced in the past and what lies ahead in his future.

This film is captivating on so many levels, first of all starting with story. Right away, anyone who has ever battled depression or anxiety feels comfortable with Charlie as a protagonist for this story. Charlie is the centre piece of a film that capitalizes on real world issues, from abuse, to tragedy, to depression and guilt. Charlie struggles with many of these, while watching his friends struggle with the rest. All they are looking for is acceptance and to be happy and free. As the film progresses we get glimpses into their past, their mistakes, their plans to make it right and we get a set of characters that is unlike any film in the past. This is the truest coming of age story I have had the pleasure of viewing.

Charlie: 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 could that be.

Sitting here now that the film is done, it completely blows my mind that a film can be that good at getting life right. Usually it is some over exaggeration of how people cope with things, or a misrepresentation of being a teenager, showing the glorious side of life but not the darker side of that time period. Lead by Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a film that needs to be seen by everyone. It tackles so many issues, and it gets them all right.

As the film progresses and things begin to unravel for Charlie, Sam and Patrick you find yourself almost too afraid to watch these real life stories unfold, that perhaps if you wish for a better outcome for these characters it will happen. Very few films make you feel like it’s characters are your own best friends, or that you are in fact the main character of the film taking place on the big screen. During this film, it made me sad to see them struggle, to deal with real world situations, and I wanted to hug the people that have helped me through difficult times because that is how real this film felt.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a beautiful film about friendship, about love and about conquering your fears and learning to live for the moment. If you haven’t already seen this film, which I’m hoping you have, I highly recommend watching it. It will be a tough film to watch at times without getting emotional or feeling your own situations come roaring back, but it is certainly worth the watch on an emotional level, as well as on a technical level for film fans, because the cinematography was wonderful. Instantly one of my favourites and I hope people enjoy it as much as I have.


Charlie: I know who you are, Sam. I know I'm quiet... and, and I should speak more. But if you knew the things that were in my head most of the time, you'd know what I really meant. How, how much we're alike and, and how we've been through things... and you're not small. You're beautiful.

10/10