The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I recently rewatched this film and it brought to light so much more understanding and closure to the film than before. I originally watched this I want to say a year or so after it came out in like 2012-13 so I didn't quite understand it fully, but it is now that I get what was trying to be conveyed in this story. 

To start off, this film follows the story of a Highschool freshman, named Charlie, who is plagued by his past which you find out throughout the story. Charlie is an outcast, not that anyone bullies or harasses him, there is nobody that looks out for him. He meets people, siblings Sam and Patrick, who then introduce him into a new world of people. As his friendship with them grows stronger, the memories that hurt him subside. So much goes on with this friendship that it's hard to contain it within a small paragraph or let alone a lot of writing so I am just going to talk through my thoughts and feelings towards this film. 

In this movie, there is no perfect character, they are all flawed. That is the  entire point. They are all meant to reflect a real world situation. Although Charlie is clearly harmed by what has gone on in his past it never feels too forced or fake. A lot of coming of age stories seem to think that there has to be this almost over the top and unbelievable feeling to the characters. In the case of Charlie and his group of friends it never feels this way. This film has so many devastating moments and it hurts to watch at some points. It is one of few that you have to quite literally sit and digest after. While the end of the movie is quite happy in terms of the topics that are discussed, it doesn't take anything away from what you actually witness within the confines of this under 2 hour movie. You see so many heavy and difficult topics being discussed, domestic and sexual abuse, depression, ptsd, suicide, and homophobia. All stemming from different forms of relationships. These things compile into a beautiful coming of age story. 

Closer to the beginning of the film you find out one thing that happened to Charlie; the previous summer his best friend had unfortunately succumbed to his depression and shot himself. This is told while Charlie is under the influence of drugs, which makes it so much different to digest than if he would've stated it while he was sober. Sam is the one who is getting this information and it is where she begins to care for Charlie on a much deeper level. This is almost a turning point in this film where you begin to understand why Charlie has cast himself in this outsider point of view. 

Everyone in this film is going through something. Charlie's sister, Candace, is another prime example of this. You see her relationship with her family and her boyfriend are like two rail lines converging, it's a path that could be harmful on both sides. On the side of her family you see that no one really likes her boyfriend and all thinks she is worth so much more. While her boyfriend's side is an extremely abusive side in which she puts up with it because she feels she has to. When Charlie first sees this abuse, Candace makes it seem that this isn't the only time that this issue has occurred. This dynamic is one that is all too real because it not only portrays life but it creates one of the most memorable lines in this film, "We accept the love we feel we deserve''. This line is so beautiful because it just encapsulates things in such a way that makes sense and doesn't feel too meta. The recurring idea of relationships in this film is begun and developed because of this line. 

Patricks character is another one that delves into much deeper topics. While through the film you see that Patrick is gay, you also see that he has a relationship with star athlete, Brad. This relationship is hidden from almost everyone, because Brad's "reputation" would be severely harmed. It is also caused by Brad's already shitty relationship with his father. This would only cause an upset. In the film you find out the same time Charlie does because he accidentally finds the two of them, this leads into a flashback of Charlie's Aunt and her mannerisms. I will touch on this more later. Brad and Patrick were at Brad's house when his father was supposed to be out of town and this caused Brad's father to beat Brad. Another outcome of this is that Brad and Patrick have a falling out which eventually results in a physical altercation with Brad, his friends and Patrick. More on this later as well.

Coming back to the main character of Charlie, he is portrayed in such a beautiful way. He is shown to have P.T.S.D. in the media and real life, something like this has a stigma around it where only people who have served in a militant area are seen to suffer from this, but here it is shown In a different and much more relatable form. I think showing that Charlie doesn't understand how to process his emotions and thoughts is perfect for not only his character but it just shows true on so many levels what reality for someone in his situation would think like. Through a series of flashbacks you see that when he was a young child he had been groomed and sexually assaulted by his aunt. In the movie his aunt is shown as someone that Charlie had turned to for advice and counseling but the entire time it turned out she had groomed him and hurt him for the rest of his life. She had not only created the trauma that comes with sexual assault but she also caused him so much more hurt and trauma with her death. You see that Charlie also believes that it is his fault that she died, because she had left to get his present which resulted in her death. In a situation involving something so evil and disgusting as SA you would think that this would be a good resolution, but it isn't. This takes such a large toll on him that it plagues Charlie for essentially the next few years. It causes his intense flashbacks and times of grief, it is a huge part of his depression and depressive episodes. It also doesn't have a good pay off until the very end of the film because Charlie feels so much guilt and hate towards himself because she had brainwashed him that she was a good person and what she had been doing was right. It is so sad to see this issue but it is painted in such a masterful way that it doesn't feel too overbearing. 

Continuing on with Charlie but in a different sense, his relationships. You understand that Charlie has no idea how to take care of and flourish in a relationship let alone a friendship because hasn't had the best or best experience in either field. That is why it is super difficult to watch him as he sits there with his fake relationship with Mary Elizabeth. It feels difficult for him to go through and use the view to watch because it is meant to. Mary is blinded by the idea of a relationship and Charlie doesn't know how to end it because he doesn't want to hurt her because Mary Elizabeth is truly his friend. He only got into this relationship because he didn't feel he had another option. The entire time in the relationship Charlie is still infatuated in the idea of being with Sam. He never felt truly in love with Mary Elizabeth or rather he always felt more love towards Sam. So even though you know eventually things aren't going to end well for them when the relationship does end it is so much more difficult than you would have originally imagined. The relationship eventually ends because of the actions of Charlie. In a simple game of truth or dare the entire friendship that he had been building with every one over the last few months comes crashing down. He gets the dare of "kiss the prettiest girl in the room", in this moment instead of kissing his girlfriend he kisses Sam. This causes an entire shift in the movie because once again Charlie is back where he started, alone. He has nothing, no friends, no love, his family isn't even really there for him. 

This situation eventually does subdued when Charlie witnesses the fight between Patrick and Brad. Patrick is getting beat to the point where it is almost needless torture, then Charlie comes and in a flash the entire other side of the fight is on the ground. Instead of this feeling like a rewarding moment he sees it as something disturbing and traumatic. It is a reminder of his past, something that he feels he should be ashamed of. This moment shows his care and love for Patrick and Sam because even though they hadn't been speaking for a while he still had the need to protect them and quite literally fight for them. 

The relationship between Sam and Charlie had been mended, this is a better time for the movie because it shows the beauty between the two of them. Although they are both flawed they still had this love for each other. Sam through most of the film had a boyfriend in the form of a college guy. Even with this knowledge Sam still gave Charlie his first kiss because as she put it "it should be with someone who loves you". This keeps Sam in the front of Charlie's mind for the rest of the film. It is revealed later on that this college guy was just some prick who had been cheating on her the entire time. There is a thought that isn't outright said by Sam but is heavily implied that she knew that he was cheating on her. Even though she still had love and care for the college guy she didn't always show the truth the whole time. This goes back on the idea from earlier where we get the love we think we deserve. In one of the most beautiful moments of the film, Sam and Charlie share this moment of realization that they deserve each other and that the two of them can be happy with one another. The most devastating part about this is that the very next day Sam is leaving for college. So even though the two of them share this joyous moment, it is one of the very few that they can share. Charlie says goodbye to Sam as she leaves for school and slowly goes back home. This moment is where it truly hits home for people. It is the part that scares most people. It is the idea that although saying goodbye is hard, it is so much harder when you don't know when you will see each other again. This thought lingers in Charlie's mind, that even though he should feel happiest for Sam, he can't because she is leaving for months. It is here that he dives into another spin of depression. He calls his sister and then makes it seem as though he is going to commit suicide, he is taken to a hospital to help his healing journey.

Although this movie could have been as effective if they left it to where he is sulking in sorrow after losing his best friend, they don't. They give him the chance to heal and learn and grow from his past. Even though this process is difficult, he gets through it understanding why he feels the way he does and now knowing how to manage himself. The film then ends with Charlie, Sam and Patrick reuniting in the scene to mirror the scene where they had become friends in the tunnel. 

This movie has some of the best representation of mental health in a movie for a long time. Not only was it based on a novel written 13 years prior, it still holds up for the most part today. In a day and age where mental health is the most important thing in most people's minds, this represents that struggle in a beautiful way. It shows that even when you are supposed to be happy for someone, you can't help but feel scared for your relationship. It is truly something beautiful to watch and digest in the eyes of any demographic. It has something for most everyone. I genuinely cried at this movie. For me it has so much relatability and understanding to the character because of the themes that are discussed. As someone who suffers from P.T.S.D. The way it affects Charlie and his relationships is too real and hits so close to home that there is no way I am not going to cry at this movie. The topics dived into this only add to how deep and relatable this movie is. I can't begin to share how much this movie changed my view on things and how it shaped me as a person.