Do you ever think, that if people knew how crazy you really were that no one would ever talk to you?

Date: Monday 18th March
Film: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller and Mae Whitman
Running Time: 01 hour, 42 minutes
Rating: 9/10

I haven't exactly been quiet in the past when it comes to my opinion on film adaptations of books I like, and I went into Perks with low expectations. Published when I was 15, I remember reading Perks at just the right time. The time where I was discovering music, making new friends and working out who I was and where I fit in the World. My biggest fear was that the film adaptation would take that all away from me.

Over Christmas I picked up my (well-thumbed) copy and read the book for the trillionth time. I needed to get a feel for the characters with actors in mind, impressions taken from snippets I'd seen in trailers and articles I'd read in film magazines. After this reading, I went into a bit of a panic. It's hard to find a book that you relate to, a book that, to you, is symbolic of your youth. That perfectly encapsulates your emotions, your feelings, and it's worse when these are butchered by filmmakers.

The one thing that was swaying me toward seeing this adaptation, instead of ignoring it to avoid disappointment (as experienced before with the god-awful adaptations of The Time Traveler's Wife and One Day), was that not only did the original author write the screenplay, but also took up directing duties. Combined with a great cast (I have been a little obsessed with Ezra Miller since seeing We Need to Talk About Kevin - another rare example of book adaptations done well), I almost got my hopes up.

Turns out, my layer of negativity was unnecessary. Yes, there are cuts made to the story,. but these are background stories, things that, in the grand scheme of things, don't make a massive difference to the story.

The film tells the story of Charlie, a 'wallflower' who is starting high school. He has few friends, and spends his days on the fringes, looking in. Soon enough he finds himself taken under the wing of Sam and Patrick, a pair of step-siblings who, like Charlie, are on the fringes of the social spectrum but have made themselves a home and a community amongst the 'misfits'.

Dealing with a spectrum of difficult subjects, including mental health, suicide, sexual abuse and coming to terms with sexuality, Perks does a great job of presenting all the issues sensitively, without ever speaking down to the audience or minimising the effect of these struggles.

Yes, there are some bits of the book that didn't make it to the film, but these were all minimal character developments with smaller characters, and not having them included didn't change the story at all.

All in all, this is a well made adaptation of a great book. It has a fabulous cast, all of whom act their hearts out, and a killer soundtrack. Worth watching, whether you've read the book or otherwise.

Challenge day: 174
Challenge time: 11 days, 03 hours, 54 minutes
Challenge film total: 138