Written, directed, produced and adapted to screen by Stephen Chbosky, Perks of Being A Wallflower released on October 12, 2012. The film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, and Ezra Miller as Patrick. This uniquely beautiful movie lightened my heart, and I urge everyone – teenager or adult – to dedicate an afternoon to entertainment.

Charlie (Lerman), the main character, enters his freshman year of high school alone after his best friend killed himself just months before. Depression medications and a quiet lifestyle became routine. His hallucinations of his late Aunt Helen also haunted him when things got bad. Lunches alone without friends, Charlie is determined to turn things around through his first letter to an unknown “friend” on the eve of his first day of school. At a school football game, Charlie takes his first step to a better life. He meets Patrick and Sam, a step sibling team of unstoppable possibilities. They give Charlie a chance to just be. He learns what it means to believe in something better. Lerman’s character represents the innocent child in all of us, yearning to find what it truly means to live a passionate life.

Lerman’s stunning performance as Charlie pulls the audience’s heartstrings and wraps us around his young finger. His acting is intense and moving, making us believe, in one scene, he was heavily under the influence. His speech patterns and body movements in social situations make out hearts swell with endearment. Watson’s role as Sam represents the mistakes we make in life and how we recover. She embodies beauty and how that clouds judgment of others. On Christmas Eve, Sam declares love for Charlie and when he returns the affections, you cheer in the name of true love. Ezra Miller’s performance as Patrick is shockingly relatable. We put on fake smiles and say fake words to get us through the day, but at the end of it, out unhappiness and fears break us apart tear by tear. At the height of his own depression, Patrick’s (Miller) heartfelt sobs in a park with Charlie remind us of the struggles we face.

To live infinitely means more than immortality. Happiness must surround you, enclose and transform you into someone you never thought existed. Happiness comes from being with the people you love, so in any moment in time, you will feel infinite. Charlie’s innocence and optimism makes my heart soar, and I cannot wait to live within his world again.