This is a response to 10 Movies That Will Change Your Perspective.
High school is a universal experience amongst most individuals. Whether you look back on those times fondly or you absolutely hated them, it is something that teenagers go through. While some parts of high school are more pleasant than others, one of the best parts of the high school experience is the friends you make. Some friendships made in high school are only temporary, while others last for a long time. In the 2012 adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you get to see the high school experience portrayed in a realistic light.
The story of Perks follows a shy, awkward teenager named Charlie Kelmeckis (Played by Logan Lerman), who starts high school in the early nineties and he meets two senior students, Sam (played by Emma Watson), and her stepbrother, Patrick (played by Ezra Miller). As Charlie starts hanging out with Sam and Patrick, he opens up more and becomes less shy, participating in things such as high school parties and Rocky Horror Picture Show theater productions. He also bonds with his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (played by Paul Rudd).
What sets the story apart from other teen-centered films is the portrayal of mental illness in film. Charlie struggles with clinical depression and has since he was a child. Charlie is also shown to have PTSD from a childhood experience near the end of the film although he is shown having repressed memories of the experience throughout the course of the movie. The accurate portrayal of mental illness in Perks is hard to come by in films and especially in teen films. For me, Perks was the first time I saw a positive, realistic depiction of a teenager that is struggling with depression and it made me feel seen. The whole movie does an incredible job overall of talking about sensitive topics such as mental illness, domestic abuse, homophobia, and more. The story never plays any of these topics for shock value and the topics are all tackled tastefully.
Finally, what makes Perks such a great coming-of-age story is the messages. This film and book have some of the most meaningful quotes I have heard such as, "We accept the love we think we deserve". Overall, this is an amazing coming of age story and I think that everyone should watch it at least once in their life and read the book aswell. It is a good story with compelling characters, a realistic plot, and it will make you smile at the end.
