The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

Charlie: So this is my life. I want you to know that I'm both happy and sad and still trying to figure out how that could be.

Charlie (Logan Lerman) is an outsider - a geek who would sit quietly in a class even while knowing all the answers rather than be called "a freak". When his English teacher sees the person that he is and offers him friendship, Charlie mentions it'd be depressing to have his English teacher as the only friend on his first day in high school. He is quiet and never speaks and the only friend he has is through a series of letters that he writes (probably to his best friend who shot himself the previous summer). He meets Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson)  at a football game and we see a developing friendship that would take us on a journey through each of their lives.

Patrick is gay and pretty much open about it, while his boyfriend, Brad (Johnny Simmons) prefers to stay closeted. While Sam, Patrick's step-sister, is the tomboyish kind who has made certain mistakes in her life and wants to turn it around. Charlie obviously has a crush on Sam, but he knows she is already taken. When he hooks up with Mary Elizabeth, more out of not being able to say no and break her heart than from any kind of attraction between the two, he instantly knows it's a disaster. And finally when Charlie and Sam get together, Sam gets admitted to Penn State and she has to leave. Charlie revisits his old dark days again and memories of sexual abuse when he was a kid resurface. Although his past has never been shown, the movie keeps dropping hints of a period when he was in a hospital and when he used to see things and have blackouts. With the help of his doctor and his family, he is able to cope and get back on his feet and is finally able to keep thoughts of suicide at rest.

This movie by Stephen Chbosky (also the author) is a decent portrayal of teenage years and some everlasting friendships. The acting from most of the cast is really good and the stand-out guy is Ezra Miller in the role of Patrick. The last time I saw him as the evil, sociopathic Kevin in We Need To Talk About Kevin, he was really convincing and once again he has managed to play a completely different role with ease. Overall, a good one-time watch.

Rating: 7/10