Coming of Age Films—The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This film has a huge following. Why is that?

Well, first, look at the title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower [2021], by Stephen Chbosky, has a great title. And it nicely juxtaposes two improbably things: being a wallflower with the benefits of being a wallflower. I think that’s one of its appeals. Because most people—especially when they’re young and still finding their way in the world—at one time or another feel like a wallflower. It’s one of those universal rites of coming of age: you don’t feel you belong, you feel on the outside, it seems like everyone fits in and you don’t. You’re a wallflower. You’re left alone at the party, you’re passed over at the dance, etc.

I don’t care if you’re the quarterback of the football team or the head cheerleader—roles that are often perceived as proof that you’re popular—you still are going to feel you don’t belong at times. So it’s something nearly everyone can tap into.

Take a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rh7O4IDc0

I think one of the things that makes this film so appealing is the fairytale aspect of it—this idea that if you ARE a wallflower, people will come along and take you in and give you the connections that you need—so that, all of a sudden, you turn into someone who belongs and your wallflower status is relegated to the past.

Is it weird to call it a fairytale? I don’t think so. Though fairytales are traditionally about young women: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, etc., this film follows along with that pattern of someone being alone, apart from others, who finds a love, a home, a place to belong.

Also, the term “wallflower” has traditionally been applied to women. But where did the word originate?

Amazingly, there is an actual flower called a “wallflower.” It’s a flower that literally grows against walls. Some actually cling to walls or stones and never venture out into the rest of the garden. So this term became one that was applied to someone—almost always a woman—who stands against the wall at a dance and just observes everyone else. It became a derogatory term—as if it wasn’t just that she was shy, it was that she was unattractive and no one would ask her to dance, so that was why she was called a wallflower.

So the title of the film itself—implying that there could be advantages to being a wallflower—kind of stood the whole concept on its head. It’s a title that attracts attention immediately because it’s incongruous and therefore defies our preconceptions.

It’s a reminder of the importance of titles. But most of all it’s a reminder of how you can look at a stereotype and challenge it by changing some of the parameters with that stereotype. It takes insight and intelligence to come up with this sort of concept.

What stereotype could you stand on its end by making it the jumping off point for your script?

Copyright © Diane Lake

24Oct21

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