The Perks of Being a Wallflower

A romantic film about teenagers, and mostly set in an American high school? You could rightly argue in advance that this is going to be the xth variation on a horribly overused concept where you mean virtually nothing unless you're the captain of the football team or head cheerleader. But this film is about something a little different. First of all, there are no such adventures (either football or cheerleading) at the forefront; the story itself focuses mainly on the lead character's feelings, and it must be said that it has its psychological depth as well. Charlie isn't so much withdrawn, reserved, and cautious because he's weird, but because something really happened to him in the past and he never quite came to terms with it. I like filmmakers who can work sensitively with characters without resorting to emotional pathos. In this case, it really is a maximally civil story whose qualities are supported by wonderfully natural performances. An independent film that is easy to get addicted to :-) (05/24/2014)

A deft mix of hipster, gay friendly teen comedy with a few surprising dramatic moments on top. A club of shelved super-smart teenagers who most of the time behave like adults, if not better, but that fits the overall feel good vibe of the film. You could say there's no pure essence of perfection, but there's no shit either, and hand on heart, when David Bowie comes on full blast in that one fateful scene, that's the fourth star. We are infinite. (02/27/2023)

One of the most compelling films about the trials and tribulations of growing up I've ever seen. The central trio of Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller is absolutely perfect. All three of them play the roles as if they were tailor-made for them. And the soundtrack, dominated by David Bowie, feels like it's from a dreamland. It was really great! (90%) (09/28/2020)

Every time I watch a romantic movie, I feel uncertain about whether I will enjoy it. And when it comes to a good film, I say to myself that the quality overshadowed the romantic dimension and it was a beautiful film. The last time it happened was with Love Actually, and this movie is another such flick. I had my doubts for the longest time, but from the second half it was clear to me that this was an example of incredible filmmaking. The emotion the movie emanated seemed incredibly real and human. That’s something I encounter only rarely and I have the feeling that the film tries to get as close as possible to the viewers and reality so that it can captivate them. It was really worth it here, because thanks to those characters, I enjoyed the film to one hundred percent. A beautiful film full of humanity and simply life shot in the best possible way. It couldn’t be any other way given that the author of the source book made the film himself. He writes it the way he wants, then he adapts it himself. Well, Chbosky is a champ. I wondered whether there was a grain of truth in his story. (01/16/2013)

I didn't believe that an American teenage advert for cotton candy could have any impact on me, but this one really packed a punch. It's just another variation on a theme that's been done hundreds of times, and as the closing credits roll we find that we haven't seen anything surprising or soul-deep, but the way this story about the importance of friendship is filmed won me over and delivered several wonderful scenes that I can't get out of my head – I thoroughly enjoyed all of the confrontations between Lerman and Emma Watson thanks to their natural acting style. A little great film, there is no other way to call it. 85% (07/15/2013)