Invisibility’s supposed to be a great gift.

But not if you’ve just enrolled in high school and nobody knows you’re alive. It probably beats being attacked with slushies like the William McKinley High misfits from Glee, but that’s little comfort for Charlie (Logan Lerman). To add to his woes, the introvert’s struggling to cope with the demise of his aunt and his best friend Michael’s suicide.

The silver lining in his dark cloud drift by in the form of 2 seniors, Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his step-sister Sam (Emma Watson). Charlie decided to make a bold move to go for his school’s football match, where he meets and recognizes Patrick from his class and therefore decides to sit with him, who then introduces him to Sam.

Initially, Charlie keeps to himself, quietly admiring the closeness between Patrick and Sam, to the extent that he thought that they were in a relationship. An awkward beginning, but they manage to get along.

Then, this coincidental meeting unravels the rest of the story, as Sam and Patrick introduce Charlie to this crazily wild world he had never seen before – of social parties, drugs, alcohol and other forbidden fruits, and he slowly opens up to people. In return, he helps Sam and Patrick with their not-so-amazing grades.

While Charlie slowly opens up to Sam and Patrick, it also goes vice versa. One of the more memorable moments in the movie was when Sam dejectedly said, “Why do I and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we’re nothing?” and Charlie answered with a reply that many audiences could relate to, “We accept the love we think we deserve.”.

Comparing the movies with high school as a setting, like 21 Jump Street, John Tucker Must Die and High School Musical, this new movie explores deeper, darker issues like drugs, alcohol and homosexuality.

This print-to-screen movie is directed by first-timer Stephen Chbosky, who had written the bestselling book, on which this is based and then the screenplay. It is a good first attempt that can leave you quite perturbed but definitely is an interesting watch. It may, however, be more confusing for people who didn’t read the book, and it takes time to absorb and understand the full story behind the climax.

With catchy songs to tap your feet to in the trailer, “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons and “We’re On Our Way” by Radical Face, you might have expected other equally great songs in the movie itself, but you’ll only end up disappointed.

Naturally, the acting has to be commendable for anyone to believe that Lerman the demigod leading man in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Burberry model Emma Watson (Harry Potter series) could ever be wallflowers or from “the island of misfit toys” as Sam refers to her friends.

And while Watson gets to frolic with 2 young men, as she did with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, her Sam, a wild and crazy senior who pulls in below average grades is entirely unlike Hermione Granger, her character in the Harry Potter series, who was a straight-laced model student who aced everything.

Though a little overrated given all the hype, this is an  amazing journey of a boy, many of us can identify with and root for, who turns from invisible to infinite.

 

•Movie name: Perks of Being A Wallflower

•Rating: 4/5

•Release Date: Oct 11, 2012

•Runtime: 103 mins

•Language: English

•Censorship Rating: NC 16

•Genre: Drama

•Director: Stephen Chbosky

•Main actors: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller

All photos courtesy of Shaw Organisation.