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In this episode of Check It/Round Table Onna discusses The Perks od Being a Wallflower and why this is one of the few American films and/or not for kids shows that is still reviewed on this podcast because it was an instrumental film for the character of Two and his partner and how is connected them in the Thai BL drama, The Theory of Love.   Onna appreciated this film because it dealt with difficult topics that are often not dealt with or are glossed over in most films.  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower features the character of Charlie, who lost his friend to suicide and spends his life observing his family and his world and has difficulty interacting with the world and surviving high school in America.  Charlie ends up making a connection with his English teacher on his first day of high school who asks why he did not answer a question that he knew the answer to.  Charlie then decides to go to a football game and connects with a kid named Patrick and his stepsister, Sam, who integrate Charlie into their group of friends, which has both positive and negative aspects.  The positive aspect of Patrick and Sam were that they had decided they cared about each other and they were going to care about each other and the friends that they shared, which is a rare and precious quality trait.  

Onna considers how Charlie had a lot bottled up and happened to show his ability to truly see people that unfortunately was enhanced with some not so good brownies laced with weed when Charlie decided to speak to those around them with the truth of who they are and instead of being ridiculed, he is honored and appreciated and made to realize he is valuable and how Sam chooses poor romantic partners based on the trauma she experienced as a child and how she bandaged her wounds from those situations rather than letting the wound heal in the air.  There is a poignant scene between Charlie and his English teacher with regards to how some individuals choose poor life partners because "they accept the love they deserve."  Because in the end, rather it is drug use, poor life partner choices, or something else, most individuals are trying to find a bandage to numb and bandage their pain after experiencing trauma.  

With regards to this film, there is a pivotal scene where Patrick is being attacked by three guys in a lunchroom because he is gay and his boyfriend turncoats on him and is nearly killed.  In this scene Charlie finally steps into the fray, pulls Patrick out of the situation and stops the three guys and how unfortunately, this type of behavior was typical of the era depicted in this film.  The main point of this film truly is that even in the midst of the chaos, we can be grateful for life and that there are things people have to face, and that it is not just about caring about others, but caring for yourself, and at that point, the healing can begin.  It may not be resolved and fixed, but you can go on and live well, because we are truly infinite beings with infinite potential and ability to live well.  

 Onna concludes with how she does not mind the portrayal of drugs, alcohol, and sexuality in film, because life does involve these things, but she does mind when these are not portrayed in a thought-full, considerate way and how life in America as a high school student is rather difficult  even more than other cultures and countries because we tend to speed things up, and oftentimes speeding things up is seldom wise.  Finally, Onna admits this is one of the few rom coms/dramas that does have the gems and the thoughtfulness of the BL genre higher quality productions.