Review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) by Sarah C — 02 Feb 2017

There are many ways to relieve pain. There are ways we know from what we see and experience -- the stories, the movies, the articles, the news, being the victim -- and there are the peaceful ways that are just as powerful: individual people who brings attention and awareness to mental illness, those are the people who changes the world. That is the kind of courageous resistance Stephen Chbosky show in Lionsgate Films 2012 film The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, rated PG-13. This film is about the story of a young teenage boy named Charlie, who has clinical depression due to childhood memories, is a movie everyone must see, so we can be inspired and strengthen the awareness for mental illness.

Ever since Charlie was little, his aunt has always been his favorite person until she passed away. He has never been mentally stable since but he tries to adapt the normal lifestyle of being a young high school student. Charlie is uneasy about beginning his freshman year because he has difficulty making friends and he's very shy. The only person he connected to at school was his english teacher, Mr. Anderson because he makes Charlie feel like he belongs in the school when Charlie feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He meets two seniors, Sam and her step brother Patrick at a football game, they invite him to go out to eat and go to parties and such. At a party, Charlie eats a pot brownie and tells Sam about how his only friend committed suicide. On the way home, Patrick drives Sam and Charlie to a tunnel. They put on a song they've never heard of and Sam decides to go to the back of the pickup to enjoy the moment. That is when Charlie begins to fall for her. After realizing that Charlie is falling in love with Sam, he tries to find ways to show her that he cares about her and her happiness. At Christmas, Charlie reveals that he have never been kissed before. Although Sam is with someone else, she kisses him and tells him that she loves him. When Marie-Elizabeth asked Charlie to the Sadies dance, he tries not to hurt her feelings so he goes with her. That's when Marie-Elizabeth started falling for Charlie and somehow they began to date but keep in mind that Charlie is only dating her because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings but he gets more irritated with her as the relationship goes. At a party, Patrick asked Charlie to kiss the most beautiful person in the room and he kisses Sam unintentionally, hurting Marie-Elizabeth's feelings. Patrick recommends Charlie to stay away from them for awhile but Charlie starts having flashbacks of his aunt's death when he was seven years old. When Sam and Patrick goes away for college, Charlie experiences a flashback of his aunt's death and something else about his aunt that he wasn't sure about. He calls his sister and his sister realizes that he needs help so she calls for help. Charlie passes out and wakes up in a hospital. He then reveals to his doctor that his aunt has sexually abused him when he was little and that's what he has been scared of saying out loud for the longest time.

Frankly, I thought that this film is incredibly amazing. Chbosky really brought attention and awareness to mental health and why this issue is really important. Anything and anyone can really make you feel like you're trapped inside sometimes it's even yourself making you feel this way. I agree that people who supports others going through this, helps a lot. Everyone always needs someone to talk to and to make sure that they're okay. This movie has inspired me to bring more awareness to mental illness and help individuals who are going through this. Some people might not understand why mental health is as important as any other illnesses and this movie has many very important parts about mental illness since you get to see Charlie's point of view. Finally, I have to admit, this film is one of the best films I have ever seen. For example, one stereotype would be: she's only depressed so she could get attention. No, mental illness is a serious issue and no one should say anything like that because no one knows what she's going through. I recommend everyone to watch this movie. Not only will it raise awareness but it will put the audience in Charlie's shoes to show what he's going through and how much pain he has trying to fix himself.

-- Hera Tran.