The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

After having constantly hearing about this film for years, I finally gave in and decided to give it a watch, I was not disappointed!

I’ve never read the original book by Stephen Chbosky so didn’t really have much of an idea of what the Perks of being a wallflower was about. Coming of age films are a genre of film I generally tend to really enjoy, being a teen myself, so I knew I was probably going to enjoy this film to a certain extent.

I found that all the characters were all very likeable and portrayed excellently. Logan Lerman gives a really raw and honest performance as Charlie, a social outcast, a “wallflower”, as he navigates his way through his first year of high school. I also really liked Emma Watson’s character, Sam. The relationship between the two was one that felt honestly genuine and heartwarming to watch.

The film also deals with a lot of hard hitting issues, one that specially hit me was Charlie’s depression. Following his best friends death and his childhood trauma, Charlie is constantly battling his mental health and the film portrays it in a way that shows Charlie’s growth over the course of the film.

I also really loved the use of music in this film. I like how the characters are always swapping mixtapes, as it’s the nineties, and the references to some popular artists like The Smiths and David Bowie, specifically the song “Heroes” which is used in the infamous Tunnel Scene. I found this scene at the end of the film especially beautiful, representing letting go and finally feeling free.

Overall, I absolutely loved this film and can’t understand why it took me so long to watch it! It’s one I’d certainly recommend for anyone, for a beautiful story that feels really heartwarming and leaves you in tears at the same time.