The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky – An introverted boy starts college and begins on the, inevitably rocky, path through adolescent turbulence.  Such is the classic, workable because endlessly relatable and entertaining, core to this successful coming of age story. Based on the novel of the same name, adapted and directed by the novelist – some have criticised the ‘busy’ nature of its narrative, entertaining a fairly comprehensive list of teenage issues. However, I would argue that while it may not have the space or time (devoid of events/transition/exposition) to develop its own memorable atmosphere or tone, lacking the visual agency (from simply ‘fitting it all in) to foster something truly cinematic, it does nevertheless offer an engrossing and well acted example of change and experience in the ‘coming of age’ domain. Ezra Miller is unrelentingly and effortlessly charismatic; Emma Watson is (despite the temptation to scrutinize a post-potter performance) successful in her relatively unexciting role, and the central receptacle of angst is triumphantly convincing throughout. 7/10