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He is shy, has no friends, and is upset that no one will sit next to him at lunch, but he somehow gets adopted into a friend group by Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson), who both view themselves as misunderstood outsiders. Their friendship ends up being unexpectedly complex, eventually leading to painful self-discovery and the need to come to terms with their past trauma and insecurities.

While The Perks of Being a Wallflower does take some time to pick up momentum, I thought Charlie was well written and played. His ‘wallflower’ character didn’t feel at all forced, unrealistic, or embarrassing; instead, I thought his personality traits were really well-depicted, for example his need to be a people-pleaser and his non-verbal tendencies. The impacts of his child abuse were threaded through his character in a way that was subtle and well-executed. Similarly, although Patrick’s story was never completely concluded, I enjoyed the movie’s exploration of his insecurities and emotions. As the film progressed, Patrick became closer to Charlie and went to him for help, which I thought was a subtle but satisfying full circle.