Whoever was in charge of casting for the film did a phenomenal job. The lead character Charlie played by Logan Lerman, is an introverted 15 year old boy dealing with the suicide of his best friend, mental illness, and discovering who he is as he tries to make new friends in high school. He writes letters to an anonymous character and details how various things are going for him. Generally he is optimistic, but at times he does become manic, remembering images of how his deceased aunt had molested him.
Emma Watson plays Samantha Dutton, the senior girl Charlie befriends and utterly falls in love with. Of course, she is a great supporting character and I especially favor her from her Harry Potter days. She is a free spirit and introduces Charlie to his new friends. She may not have been the best influence though, as Charlie goes from smoking weed to taking acid at a party, woken up by police outside after he does snow angels. She has his best interests at heart and cares deeply for him, so I enjoy her character thoroughly.
There are many different themes present in Perks of Being a Wallflower, including mental illness/depression, suicide, homosexuality, drug use, introversion, fitting in, friendship, and love. These may be common high school themes, but the film presents them in very realistic ways. Charlie has a tough time making friends, but by the end of the film he is driving down the highway with his friends, head above the sunroof, listening to Heroes by David Bowie. Charlie experiments with drugs, and even in his sexuality, at one point kissing Patrick played by Ezra Miller.
Because the film was released while I was in high school, it was a great movie to watch in reference to my real life experiences, including initial introversion, first love, depression, friendship, etc. The film led me to be heavily influenced in music to get through difficult times. I enjoyed writing immensely and still do to this day, so I found relatability in Charlie’s ambition to become an author, and found it endearing when his friends got him a typewriter and suit for his birthday. I may not find it so relatable now as an adult, but Perks of Being a Wallflower will remain a nostalgic classic for me.