You guys
know by now that I have several very fixed likes when it comes to films. One of
the biggest, as you have also probably figured out, are films with a nice big
fat twist in their tails. It comes from watching far too many movies I guess,
it absolutely delights me if the film throws me a curveball that I don’t see
coming. Conversely, one of my biggest personal joys (and greatest annoyances to
anyone watching a film with me) is making vociferous guesses as to what will
happen next. I am right more often than not (not always, I need to stress, but
often enough) and this makes me happy. But at the same time it annoys me. This
film I definitely did not see coming. I watched the trailer, I made guesses as
to what it could broadly be about. I was partly right. Partly…
The part I
was right about was the fact that this is a coming of age movie. One of the
most adorable examples of the genre at that. It is about a shy freshman at high
school who gets taken under the wings of a rather cool gang of last year students.
And under their rather crazy tutelage he discovers love, sex, drugs, rock’n
roll and many, many other things besides… But see here’s the thing, Patrick and
Sam the inseparable duo who are his main “parents” are not your average teens,
there is a lot going on below the surface that our hero may well be unable to
handle… But then again… Retiring and
introverted as he may seem Charlie is not exactly your average freshman either….
Now we have
all seen enough coming of age movies to know the pattern by now. Hero overcomes
insecurities and with the help of older guides blossoms into adulthood. But
what happens if you set this archetypal story in the real world? Where there
are monsters much, much darker than the fear of never finding a partner that
seemed at one point to be the driving force for so many movies aimed for
teenage girls at one point. This is what this film does ladies and gents. It is
set in the real world where teenagers can be mentally ill. Where terrible
things happen to innocent kids and leave scars that don’t heal for years and
years. Is this a bad thing? Does this make the film depressing to watch?
Actually, no. Because it gives us all, no matter what our age, a message that
we would do well to remember more often. That no matter how terrifying the
monsters, if you have people you love and who love you back (in whatever sense
of the word you like), there is a pretty good chance you will find the strength
to be ok. It is all very well and good seeing this message in a glossy
Hollywood world where you half know everyone’s going to be alright anyway. But
it really hits it home when you come across things that are actually applicable
to the real world.
And one of
the things I liked the most about the film was the fact that although the
greater shock is reserved for the end of the film the dark undertone of the
film starts pretty much as the film itself does and gently bumps are legs and
nips our ankles as we walk through the world of the film. I mean if you thought
the whole thing about mental health was a spoiler you were wrong. We are lead
to understand (though nothing will openly be said until the end) our hero is
mentally troubled literally minutes into the film. But Charlie wants to do his
best to keep his condition a secret and the film makes very little of it too –
at first. But then, despite his most valiant attempts, when his support system
breaks down, well, so does he. You may well see in this a parallelism with the
clingy, almost needy relationships you form as a teenager but I also see in it
the fact that no man is an island. That we must reach out and communicate
because human beings are, at the end of the day pack animals. Social creatures. (SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT, SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT IT)I see great truth in Charlie's separation from his new found family
triggering a mental breakdown. I strongly believe this is closer to a lot more
people’s truth than they would like to openly admit.
I say go
and see this film. It’s not a “feel good” movie – its far too close to real
life to be called that. But shall I tell you something? You will feel good in
the end. You will watch real monsters you recognize from real life and watch
them defeated with love and friendship that overrides mistakes, imperfections,
growing pains and a whole host of other things besides… And tell me, what on earth
could be better than that?
And before
we wrap up, kudos to the relatively young but incredibly talented cast for
pulling off such challenging parts! I can well imagine Emma Watson pouncing on
the role of the tortured free spirit Sam the moment she got it as she was understandably
desperate to step away from the part of Hermione Granger. She is clearly going
to be the superstar of her generation – I don’t often get “girl-crush”es but
Emma Watson is the notable exception for me. Another rising star is Ezra Miller
from “We ned to talk about Kevin” fame (I seriously need to see that film,
especially after seeing how good Miller is in this film. I tried to watch this
one on the way back from Japan, which was possibly not the best of timing so to
speak as I fell asleep half way through). Patrick, Miller’s character struggles
with… Well let’s not spoil the surprise. He struggles with growing up, gaining
the acceptance of others and accepting himself. And Ezra Miller brings him to
live with talent that brings one out in goosebumps. Definitely one to look out
for. But the star of the show, our everyman – a true everyman with very real
warts and scars is Charlie – i.e. Logan Lerman. Judging by the fact that his
latest part is in the Noah, one of the latest blockbusters “on the block”
Hollywood has picked up on him too. Trauma, mental illness they are all difficult
to portray at the best of times, Lerman has the added challenge of hinting at
it all through the performance without letting too much go until the big
reveal. He manages the subtleties of the part perfectly and is the main reason
you will well up during the film.
This little
film has sort of leapt into my top ten favorites you guys. I will be watching
and re-watching it. I strongly advice you make the discovery too J
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