Charlie (Logan Lerman) sees things, he understands them and he keeps quiet about
them; this makes him a wallflower. Wallflowers silently watch life from the background. They
sit alone during lunch, gripped by the works of their literary idols. They stand at the corner
of the room at school dances. They usually go about their lives without really trying to make
things happen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower chronicles one wallflower’s attempts to make things happen. In this film, Charlie navigates the roller coaster ride that is growing up,
accompanied by partners in crime Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller).
Charlie is dealt a bad hand. At such a young age, he is already all too familiar with
tragedy. The circumstances that he faces are enough to damage the mental health of a perfectly happy adult, let alone a growing 15 year-old. As a result, there is an ever-present risk that the film turns out horribly contrived and overdone. The film does indeed utilise tragedy as a key theme, but it doesn’t exaggerate the associated drama. It somehow hits all the right notes.
To a certain extent, every film adaptation of a book will almost always disappoint its loyal readers for not matching their exact interpretation of the book. Readers, however, will be satisfied if the film successfully captures the book’s essence. And this film does just that.
The film really does feel like the book. It’s obviously and believably the 90s, but it doesn’t feel out of date. It feels contemporary enough for audiences today to make an instant connection. Most importantly, it doesn’t subtract anything valuable, which is a testament to Stephen Chbosky’s directing skills. Having Chbosky – the writer of the book and the screenplay who has never directed a major feature film before – at the director’s seat proves to be a gamble that pays off handsomely.
The writing also benefits from this. As the book is written in an epistolary style, there
are bound to be gaps in details, especially in dialogue. The script fills these gaps comfortably.
The film also progresses at a reasonable pace, with the flashbacks providing a helpful set-up
to the film’s conclusion.
Furthermore, having a sterling cast always helps. The main characters are played by the
perfect actors for the role. Emma Watson puts in an accomplished performance in her first
major role since Hermione Granger. Playing Sam is a significant challenge for her, as it
is not within the comfort zone of the smart,talented Oxford-type Watson who essentially
spent most of her life playing a smart, talented Oxford-type character. She even got the
accent right.
Since We Need To Talk About Kevin, it is painfully obvious that Ezra Miller is
supremely gifted. And his performance as Patrick is the soul of the film. He is what life is
like: vibrant, messy and uncompromising. The film deals with the issues it presents just like
how Patrick deals with life: head-on with an incontrovertible sense of humour.
Logan Lerman, on the other hand, is naturally reserved. The Homecoming dance
scene encapsulates what he brings to the table. Initially standing at the edge of the dance floor
by himself, he decides to join Sam and Patrick, who are alive at the centre of the action. Every
little movement Lerman does in this scene is perfect: the awkward head bump unsynchronised with the music, the slow, unconvinced walk and the terrified look as if he’s walking into a lion’s den.
In a way, this scene sums up the entire film.
Perks leaves behind an important legacy for wallflowers everywhere, because in the end, Charlie is still himself. He still loves books. He still loves writing. He still loves writing
about books. He is still that quiet boy who understands things. But the important transformation is
that he discovers life can be more exhilarating from the dance floor. That can only happen when you participate.
This is perhaps why Perks seems to have a struck a collective chord with both young and
old. Not only because it is profound; not only because it is funny; but also because in each
of us, there is a wallflower who is yearning to dance.
