'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' review by Captain Raptor

'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' review by Captain Raptor

The journey from beloved young adult novel to moving picture is an unstable one, fraught with danger. To your left, the bubbling lava pits of alienating the original fans and the core audience. To your right, the gaping chasm of failure to attract new viewers and of being too niche. As good as any attempt can ever be, it's much like making a Star Trek film in that the moaning and decrying will be endless no matter which route you take. The upcoming Divergent and The Fault In Our Stars are this year's major YA contenders, but before those days arrive upon us, let us see what's regarded as one of the more successful adaptations.

Of course, this peril is somewhat navigated in the instance of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, given that it is written and directed by the author of the original book. Good thing, too. The film is made with a gentle and emotional sophistication that one might typify more of a book than of a film. There's great amounts of drama and characterisation, but it's done with maximum subtlety and often without even many words (which is good both for additional dramatic effect and because dialogue isn't a major strength of the film). Massive revelations about abuse, suicide and other traumas are dropped into the dialogue almost casually, keeping the film's tone electrically dramatic, because you soon realise that something jaw-droppingly upsetting could be just around the corner. The revelations themselves are also improved by this lack of fanfare, allowing the moments to be moving without ever venturing near melodrama. There's a balance between heartwarming and heart-wrenching that underlies the events and in particular the relationship between social outcast Charlie and his cool, confident new friends. There is some cliché in the conveyed message that friendship can fix everything, and it's to be found elsewhere, such as Paul Rudd's obligatory cool guy teacher, but these elements are played with enough soul and charm that at worst they're passable. Stephen Chbosky's subject matter of high school angst and self-doubt is far from trivialised, but it's also kept in check by the presence of far darker demons in the character's lives.

 The writing and tone of the movie is excellently brought across by Logan Lerman, who plays the lead role. His performance is low-energy and understated, brimming with emotion - perfectly matching the film in every other regard. His character is wonderfully developed and Lerman plays him expertly. Much the same can be said about Ezra Miller's performance as Patrick, who is the high-energy, quotable, quick-witted counterpoint to the mumbling and sunken-eyed Charlie. The other performances all range from the high end (Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons - both Scott Pilgrim Vs The World alumni) to the low end (Emma Watson, Dylan McDermott) of good, but there aren't any seriously weak links in the chain. The musical score can be sometimes ill-fitting, but there's every possibility that was intentional, and the mood is stabilised by the slightly murky cinematography, so the impact that might have had is dampened.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is touching and charming in equal measure. A minimalistic but powerful story often told more with sights than it is with words, the writing is superb and Lerman does it more than justice with a subtle yet astoundingly emotive turn. There are flirtations with both the pretentious and the overly-earnest, but it's captivating and heartfelt from beginning to end, and there are times where Chbosky can move you more in ten seconds then some writers and directors can in entire films. A quiet and restrained yet still enthralling movie, I recommend this particularly for the fans of The Breakfast Club and Submarine as celebration of teenage angst and isolation.