The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Familiar strangers have always been a matter of fascination for me. It’s sometimes the beginning of something brilliant, like in the famous trilogy which began with Before Sunrise. Or it might be something liberating and reinforcing, like in Lost in Translation. It might even be empowering but borderline scandalous, like in The Bridges of Madison County. In each case however, there’s always a special place in your heart reserved for that stranger, and the journey you two share makes a significant impact on you as a person. Sometimes, it’s purely platonic, but still making just as much impact on both people involved, like in Begin Again. Even more enticing are the ones with a distinct age gap. It’s a familial sort of bond, but without the weight of being actual family, and thus more candid and so even more redeeming, like Charlie’s bond with his English teacher in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. If you’re also a major fan of the familiar strangers story between two people of different generations, here are 5 underrated films you probably haven’t heard of, but might thoroughly enjoy.

Miss Stevens tells the story of three school children Margot (Lili Reinhart), Sam (Anthony Quintal), Billy (Timothée Chalamet) and their English teacher Rachel (Lily Rabe) as they go for a two day trip for the students’ participation in an acting tournament. Billy is mentally ill, but his parents have given permission because he needs the experience. Plus, he’s extremely talented, and their best hopes at winning. During their stay, Billy and Rachel connect, forging a bond beyond the traditional, but consciously not crossing any boundaries. He helps her with her repressed emotions, and she helps him with his disconnection from people.

For fellow fans of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, the anticipation surrounding the movie trailer has only grown since details of the production slowly began to leak. On May 18th, Universal Pictures released the trailer to their YouTube channel, and the jarring direction it appears to have taken got me thinking about the ways this film could have made an even bigger impact. 

The cinematic storytelling does not feel true to the original spirit of the musical, any and all visual uniqueness has been stripped, leaving only fondly-remembered songs and a star-filled cast to bear the weight of the story. The adaptation comes across as a shallow coming-of-age silhouette, not unlike Stephen Chbosky’s previous hit Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

The haunting piano chords of “You Will Be Found” that play during the opening of the trailer signals that fans of the show are in for yet another striking emotional journey; but the unsubtle acting immediately takes one out of the moment. Now, this may be a controversial opinion but I’m going to go on-record with this statement: 

Ben Platt was the wrong man for the job. 

Last year, while the making of this film was still nothing but a rumour, I came across this graphic on a broadway-gossip social media account: