A Lot More than Just a Teenage Angst Tale

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2014)

Superficially THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a tale of mental and physical growth, as introvert Charlie (Logan Lerman) has a torrid time during his first weeks at high school, but is eventually transformed by association with close friends Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson). As the action unfolds, however, so Stephen Chbosky's film - based on his own book - becomes a lot more complex in terms of content. We learn that Charlie and Sam's lives are intertwined in several ways, not all of them pleasant; they both had traumatic childhoods. Although ostensibly destined to be together, they cannot make that final step until the final reel. Likewise Patrick has to cope with the stress of having a relationship with Brad (Johnny Simmons) that is based on secrecy: Brad cannot admit his sexuality to himself, his friends or his father. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER shows in meticulous detail just how difficult it can be to negotiate high school, especially in cultures that value conformity and find difference extremely hard to handle. The film has a shocking ending, where we discover the truth about Charlie's life, and why he has been so introverted in the past. No one, it seems, has been prepared to listen to him, least of all his family and friends. The three protagonists are excellent in their roles, showing a technical and emotional range, especially when it comes to depicting repressed emotion. The supporting cast are equally good, notably Paul Rudd as a bookish English teacher. Definitely worth watching more than once.