"Charlie, the fifteen-year-old narrator of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, has just entered his freshman year of high school when the story begins. Charlie is the eponymous "wallflower". He is quiet and withdrawn, but he is also extremely observant and thoughtful, always paying close attention to everything going on around him, even if he is only a silent witness. Charlie writes a series of letters to an anonymous "friend." The viewer never learns who this "friend" is, and the "friend" never writes back. Each letter begins with the greeting "Dear friend" and ends "Love always, Charlie."


I absolutely LOVE both the book and the movie. This is the kind of story that resonates and stays with you for years. Charlie is the kind of character you can see yourself in and identify with, at least I can. I first read the book for English class in 9th grade and watched the movie shortly after. Even though I've already seen it more than once, I could go rewatch it right now.

There are two quotes that stand out to me. "We accept the love we think we deserve" as well as "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite". There's just something about it all as a whole that makes perfect sense. It all works together. At the end, when Charlie is standing up out of the car with his arms in the air as Heroes by David Bowie plays (click here for a video), it does make me feel infinite too. I'm not in the story, I'm just viewing it, but it's connecting to me on such a personal level that I feel as if I'm there in that moment. Maybe it's just because I was a major loner all throughout grade 7-9 or the fact that I can relate to other aspects of Charlie's life, but this movie will never fail at making me feel less alone.

And now... the SOUNDTRACK. It's undefeatable. I have it saved to my library on Spotify because it's just that good. You can't go wrong with songs like Asleep by The Smiths and Teen Age Riot by Sonic Youth. Whoever made the soundtrack for this movie is a genius, big brain, Einstein brain even. Not to mention the casting... Impeccable. Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd. All great actors. I couldn't picture anyone else playing their parts.

In terms of being triggering, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower can definitely get you in your feelings depending on what parts you can relate to. There's some specific trauma in this story that obviously makes people extremely uncomfortable, so watching a movie where it's present can be difficult and emotional. Being reminded of the bad things you've gone through sucks when you don't have anyone to go to, so make sure that's an option if you want to watch it.

I've had this tab open for way too long now and all I'm doing is rambling, so it's time to wrap this up. PEACE.