The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“The best thing you can be is yourself.” This is the uplifting message of this acclaimed coming-of-age classic.

The film follows 15-year-old outsider Charlie (Logan Lerman), who starts in high school and struggles with loneliness, depression and severe trauma. He is alternately bullied and overlooked — a true “wallflower” who prefers to look at life from the sidelines.

But when he meets charismatic outsider friends Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), a new world opens up with parties, friendships, infatuations and the first faltering steps into adulthood.

Stephen Chbosky directs himself after his 1999 bestselling novel that became both a youth favourite and the subject of heated debate and attempts to have it removed from US schools and libraries. The film adaptation retains the book's blend of humour, darkness and youthful intensity, and tells without embellishment about psychological distress, sexuality, trauma and the need to find people to belong with.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is a stark, warm and hopeful tale of how crucial friendships can be when you find it hard to find a foothold yourself.

Director: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Country/year: United States, 2012
Running time: 103 min.
Format: Not known
Language: Danish subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for children over 15

Part of the series: Don't Fear the Weird 2026
Cinematek is again this year at the centre of the Don't Fear the Weird festival, where films, conversations and community come together. Throughout the festival days, we invite the audience inside for a series of film experiences that explore psychological vulnerability, community, identity and being human in different ways.