The film “Perks of Being a Wallflower” released in 2012 is directed by Stephen Chbosky and is based on the novel which was also written by Stephen Chbosky. The movie portrays the theme of coming of age and is based on three friends, living their teenage years, along with the challenges of high school and growing up to become mature men and woman. This essay will describe and explain the impact of drugs and alcohol on their lives in particular Charlie Kelmeckis and the process of making lifelong friends and discovering some dark secrets within himself.
An important feature of coming of age is the use of alcohol and drugs and the impact this can have on a growing teenager. Throughout the film, Charlie experiences this through the vulnerability of peer pressure whilst also suffering from depression. Charlie’s first experience with drugs occurred at the first party he was ever invited to. Being naive about drugs and alcohol, Charlie readily took a brownie from Bob thinking it was just an ordinary brownie. “I ate the brownie, and it tasted a little weird, but it was still a brownie, so I liked it”.
As the movie continues, Charlie turns towards drugs to numb his low mood which came about from an abusive episode from his aunty which he endured as a child. Charlie finds himself in trouble with the law after taking LSD “The trees wouldn’t stop moving, the police found me pale blue and asleep”. Experimentation is a part of growing up and making the right decision and keeping safe is a difficult concept for teens to understand. Chbosky shows in the visual effects of Charlie eating the brownie showed a high key of yellow lighting above Charlie’s head like a halo.
Also the angel that he made in the snow was a high angle which showed wings as a form of symbolism about Charlie that he is a good and warm hearted person. But his immatureness and peer pressure leads him to bad addictions later on. Dealing with depression and mental health illness is another important issue that is discussed in the theme coming of age. At the start of the film, we are told of Charlie’s experience at a mental health hospital where he suffers from depression about his aunt Helen.
Throughout the film, Charlie learns much about himself but straddles between sadness and depression. His solution involves withdrawing himself from all forms of social interaction. When Charlie’s social problems are mixed with his emotional problems he becomes more depressed. Towards the end of the film the audience find out that Aunt Helen had molested him as a child causing constant flash backs. This showed that something was wrong as he thought about the distressing memories he had in the past, resulting in mood disturbances and depression.
These emotions are shown to the audience in the camera angle during the Dutch tilt that his mind is confused and upside down when banging his head against the door shows that he is mentally unstable. In the film when Charlie accidentally breaks his friend Mary Elizabeth’s heart, he’s temporarily excluded from their tight group which shakes his emotional stability. Hearing Mary Elizabeth rejects him over the phone while he pleads for forgiveness filled him with anger. Due to Mary Elizabeth not understanding what it meant to take his support network away from him.
His emotional state throughout the film is fragile and can go off at the slightest problem through cross cutting flashbacks. Chbosky showing the emotional effects of depression on a young adult that being a teenager is difficult but you must endure through the down times in life and to not think constantly about it but to move forward. Friendship is another important element of the theme coming of the age. In the beginning of the film, Charlie struggles with making friends in the first couple of days of his freshman year. Charlie adapts and interacts well with people and is able to make friends easily and quickly.
Chbosky portrays this idea in the wide angle shot of the large crowd in the football game, when Charlie approached Patrick and says “Hey Patrick”. “Hey, you’re in my shop class”, says Patrick. Eventually Charlie is told to sit next to him and they continue their friendly conversation and with time meets a girl named Sam. From then onwards they made good friends and was later introduced to more people. Chbosky highlights the fact that Charlie becomes easily able to seek a conversation with someone in front of a large crowd, from which then lead to an invitation to his first ever party.
At the party Charlie became emotional after realising the fact that he was being noticed and appreciated by the group of his presence. Patrick raised his drink and asked everyone to do the same. “To Charlie” and the whole group said, “To Charlie”. Chbosky shows in the wide shot angle of when Charlie was drinking his milkshake and sitting on a lower level than his two other friends, that he has become recognised by the group, being the centre of attention by being himself, he gains the trust of others and is told important secrets compared to his original life.
Charlie demonstrates the benefits of being a wallflower by not being blinded by his own personality, but by blending and finding strengths in collaborating with others. In conclusion, Chbosky highlights this idea of’coming of age’ as a dramatic occurrence in Charlie’s life, from being mentally unstable to socially unstable. He comes out of his shell and makes friends during the film, taking risks through the help of his friends and family. Chbosky highlights Charlie’s use of drugs, depression and friendship to show coming of age throughout his life-changing freshman year.
