As teenagers, we feel infinite; and it shows. We take risks, we make mistakes, we get in trouble. But  what if we couldn’t feel that? What if we just felt completely alone?

    In the new film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, directed by the author of the 1999 novel on which the film was based, Stephen Chbosky, Charlie (Logan Lerman) is beginning his freshman year of high school after losing all his friends due to his best friend, Michael’s suicide the previous May. Entering high school, Charlie hopes to find a place for himself. After a brief period of lonely meandering, Charlie befriends two seniors, Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson). Patrick is a satirical sweetheart who shocks the audience when Charlie walks in on him kissing the quarterback of the football team in a bedroom at a party. Sam, Patrick’s stepsister, is the beautiful, unconventional, scandalous it-girl of their bizarre gang of friends, which consists of Alice (Erin Wilhelmi), the wealthy kleptomaniac and goth film enthusiast, Bob (Zane Holtz), the stoner, and the boastfully brilliant and sexually bold Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman). This eclectic group of “misfit toys” finally gives Charlie his opportunity to feel infinite. He goes out, tries drugs, participates in school, and even loses his virginity. This open atmosphere also allows for some unpleasant suppressed memories to surface, including a secret that Charlie has kept from everyone since childhood.

    The film is cast with the perfect balance between unknowns, and stars in unconventional roles, such as Paul Rudd as the inspiring English teacher, Mr. Anderson. Furthermore, the cinematography and soundtrack never fail to capture the mood, and reflects on the audience as less of an angsty teen movie, but as a timeless self-discovery film. Every song that plays can either inspire a young viewer with it’s symbiotic images and lighting or bring an older viewer back to their youth. The costumes and styling perfectly fit the 1990 setting of the novel. And, as the author is also the director, the tone and identifiable themes are not lost in translation, as is so common with novel-based films nowadays.

    Even when Charlie’s flashbacks reveal scandalous details about his life, and depression comes into the mix, the audience felt it; although subtle, the films evokes emotions in viewers that they were not expecting. When I went to a showing, I wept for the entirety of the film even though I didn’t read the book.

    While, on the surface, a typical indie coming-of-age story, the movie has been acclaimed by critics from all walks of the industry: David Edelstein of New York Magazine calls Perks, “An exquisite adaptation”, and Entertainment Weekly’s Anthony Breznican even recommended The Perks of Being a Wallflower for Best Picture Consideration. This exceptional coming-of-age story deserves a five star rating for its accurate portrayal, ideal soundtrack and cinematography, topped off with superb acting. While an eclectic cast, and and offbeat story, Perks is an incredible experience that every moviegoer should participate in.