{movie review}: Are There Perks to Being a Wallflower?

Tonight, my brain is gushing with activity.  A mass of twirling feelings and thoughts that are all connected and unraveling into words feels a little impossible.  I just got out of a Friday night movie with one of my former high school small group girls.  I picked the movie because I love Emma Watson and I heard good things.  I didn't read any reviews because I try to block them out before going into movies so I can fully experience the drama without preconceived judgements.  Afterwards, sometimes I'll read reviews and be amazed at how it perfectly captures how I felt about the movie.  Sometimes I'll be glad I didn't read the review beforehand because it would have tainted my enjoyment.  

Warning, this could be a spoiler alert if you haven't seen The Perks of Being a Wallflower.   

Let me start by saying this movie reminded me a lot of The Garden State.  Both movies had the same blunt, painful realities of  suburban youth.  Both had this idea of longing for authenticity when all that's been fed is lies and image.  That said, authenticity in its truest form has a lot of pain.  We see all these characters and see what is currently making them who they are, as well as all of the hardship that brought them there.  We see stupid, young decisions that are thought to bring happiness.  But none of it does...

The protagonist, Charlie, is a sensitive freshman who doesn't have a friend when he enters high school.  His best friend had committed suicide earlier in the year.  He gets into a group purely because they notice he doesn't have friends and decide they can be that for him.  He's haunted by his aunt, who passed away earlier and he remembers idealistically--even though it's clear that she is part of the reason for his depression.  His sister doesn't break up with her boyfriend, even though he doesn't treat her well.  All of his friends choose "the love they think they deserve," even though by that account, all have very low self-esteems.  The most poignent moment for me was when Charlie calls his sister to reveal his pain in the only way he knows: "it's my fault."  She notices this plea and while trying to keep him on the phone, tells her friend to call the police immediately.  They arrive in time to keep him from another tragic death and when talking to the doctor, Charlie says:

Just tell me how to stop seeing it. All their lives, all the time. Just, how do you stop seeing it? There is so much pain and I don’t know how to not notice it. No, it’s not me, it’s them. It’s everyone. It never stops. Do you understand?

On the drive home, my high school friend and I didn't know what to say to each other.  I mean, what hope is there if that is all there is?  If going to a psych hospital where you get medicated because you have self-destructive thoughts based on irreversible past events?  If we realize people choosing different paths than us are just as broken as we are?

I was reminded of a sermon from the youth pastor this week where he said our society has failed the next generation.  We have promised them gods that will fulfill them if they serve them faithfully: gods of money, power, sex, and happiness.  And just like the prophets in the Old Testament dancing around an alter to the false god Baal, they slash themselves and wail and wait for their god to come and rescue them.  But he never comes.  Just like these modern gods don't fulfill.  We buy, but we want more. We give ourselves to the next person who promises to love us, but when it doesn't bring the fulfilling happiness, we move on to the next promise.  We identify ourselves with a different sexual-orientation and are still rejected.  We get into the college of our dreams and don't know how to change.

Walking out of the movie, I heard students say, "this movie is so relevant to my life."  Looking at reviews afterward there weren't a ton of articulate words other than, "this was so good.  You have to watch this movie."  What was good about it?  Yes, it is crazy relevant.  It is important to ground ourselves in real issues for real life.  BUT WHERE IS THE HOPE?  Communion and Prayers are sporadically thrown into this movie, as if to prove, "faith is just as empty as everything else."

I hate to bring up "Mumford & Sons" again, but their lyrics are so perfect in reflection to this movie:

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

I believe that this is why Jesus came.  To set us FREE.  He is the only one that promises joy and hope in THIS LIFE but it comes at a cost: we must lay our other false gods down.  We cannot serve two masters--either we will hate one and love the other or we will be devoted to one and despise the other.  It's not that these other things will vanish and the hurt will magically go away.  We wouldn't be fully human if it were so easy.  But the God that I serve, He is there when I call out and He can heal the brokenness and give hope.