I've wanted to read this book for a long time. Granted, it's considered "young adult" fiction, but given the popularity of "young adult" these days (Hunger Games trilogy, Twilight, etc.), this genre is now considered the mainstream.
I still want to read the book, even though I just saw the film. I think I'll get a lot out of reading it, given the screenplay was written by the author, and it was also directed by the author, Stephen Chbosky, who, as I read in IMDB, has only directed one other film. There are a lot of relationship nuances that are only hinted at in the film, that I think will be more deeply explained in the book, given the overtly visual nature of film.
The film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, a very introverted and shy, yet brilliant freshman in high school. We meet him on his first day of high school, and he has absolutely no friends. The audience is made to feel sorry for Charlie immediately. He writes letters to a "dear friend" discussing how hard he imagines high school to be, and how difficult his life has been up to then. We slowly gain more and more knowledge about the depth to his pain, and the root of its cause.
Charlie's first "friend" at school is his English teacher Mr. Anderson, played by Paul Rudd (who has some of the best and most poignant lines in the film). Mr. Anderson immediately sees the brilliance in Charlie, and gives him special books to read and analyze that quite clearly are important to him, and he wants to share their importance with Charlie. Charlie excels at writing, and and one is left to believe that this film is more than slightly autobiographical for Chbosky.
A few weeks into school, Charlie meets a group of high school seniors, who welcome him to their "island of misfit toys." They are all tortured in their own ways, and have their own individual personal tragedies that they're dealing with. But through their friendships with one another, they find ways to deal with their pain, or at least numb it temporarily through their escapades and shenanigans.
Sam, played by Emma Watson (who tries really hard to mask her English accent, which slips at times), is one of the first people to welcome Charlie into her little group. Patrick, her stepbrother, played by Ezra Miller (who was brilliant as the sociopath in "We Need to Talk About Kevin), also welcomes Charlie into their group, even though they're both seniors, and Charlie's a freshman. They quickly see a fellow tortured soul in Charlie, as Charlie exposes a part of his torturous past in a stoned conversation with Sam.
The film is laugh-out-loud funny at times, tear-jerkingly sad at other times. There are a few relationships that I would like to learn more about, namely Charlie's relationship with his late Aunt Helen, and the relationship that Brad, a high school football player with a secret, has with his father. These relationships are probably delved into in more detail in the book. I'm sure it will be a good read.
Being the music-obsessed person that I am, I loved the soundtrack (Throwing Muses, The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, Galaxie 500, and more). The film clearly takes place in the late 80's/early 90's, but we are never really sure what the year is. There are mixtapes made on actual tapes, and for any of us who grew up in the late 80's, no mp3 playlist can ever feel as significant. Music is, in a way, a strong character in and of itself in the film. The beautiful song "Asleep" by the Smiths is a significant part of the film, and was a significant part of my early life.
All in all, this is a wonderful film. Chbosky has created characters with whom we empathize and care deeply about. And we are left to thank our lucky stars that we are no longer high school students, as no matter how "popular" we may have been in high school, life was very difficult at times, made easier by the people with whom we chose to associate. We hope. It's also a larger statement on life. No matter how much we all may seem to have it together, we all are dealing, in one way or another, with demons.
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