The Perks of Being a Wallflower: The most authentic coming of age drama of the 21st century

High-school coming-of-age stories gained popularity in the 80s through iconic films such as The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Stand By Me, among others. These films, regarded as the pioneers of the genre, became exponentially more popular through the 90s and early 2000s. But the films released in the 90s and 2000s underwent a few noticeable changes from their 80s counterparts. Films such as Clueless paved the way for films such as Mean Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You, and She’s All That. There was more emphasis on comedy and shock value. The 2000s witnessed further change with the surge in the popularity of sex comedies. It simply meant that there was an abundance in films and even TV shows that came under the tag of ‘coming-of-age’. While some were critically acclaimed, others were films that would come under the bracket of guilty pleasure. By the 2010s, there has been a slight dip in demand for such films and their popularity appeared to have waned. However, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was an exception. It rejuvenated the genre and gave it a much-needed reset.

Based on Stephen Chbosky’s book of the same name, the author was adamant that he direct the film himself. He argued that he wanted to give the fans of the novel the most authentic live-action adaptation of the story. His decision ultimately proved to be justified, as the film garnered universal acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the best in the genre. It’s not always fans of a particular novel endear to its on-screen adaptation. For instance, Harry Potter fans or ‘Potterheads’ have mixed opinions on the film franchise, primarily due to the liberties the films have taken with respect to how the lore was depicted on screen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was not constrained by such issues, largely due to the fact the author himself was helming the film. It is arguably one of the most accurate depictions of a novel, and one that stayed true to the source material. The most obvious example of an author being involved in the film’s project to great effect would be Mario Puzo writing the screenplay for The Godfather.

While The Perks of Being a Wallflower certainly is not on the same playing field as The Godfather, it most certainly is a well-crafted adaptation that explores themes of trauma, abuse, and existentialism. These are woven into the narrative with great care and expertise, without alienating it from the compelling story the film has to offer. It is also interesting to note that the filmmakers have adopted softer tones for their visuals and sound design to reflect the lead character’s personality played by the excellent Logan Lerman. His portrayal of Charlie is measured and keeps the audience connected to him from start to finish. Charlie’s emotions and complexity in character are essayed with relative ease by Lerman - who go on to portray yet another complex character in David Ayer’s World War II drama, Fury, alongside Hollywood elites such as Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal. Lerman’s Charlie strikes a chord with anyone who has felt like a ‘wallflower’ at some point in their life, even more so when growing up. As Ezra Miller’s character Patrick aptly described it, “You see things, and you understand. You are a wallflower”.

The film’s greatest strength is how it dealt with child sex abuse ever so subtlely, but with enough clarity that conveyed the message in the right manner. Some of the performances by the cast elevated an already well-written screenplay. Emma Watson’s turn as Sam is without question her best performance as an actress. While her most popular role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series was commendable, it was hardly worth raving about. But as Sam, she has an excellent rapport with her on-screen friends, and most importantly Charlie and Patrick. Not for one second did she remind the audience that she was Hermione. It speaks volumes of how she had developed as an actress.

The film ends with a message of hope with a scene and monologue that will forever be etched in one’s memory, “…and at this moment, we are infinite”.