Essay on "Themes and Techniques Used in Smashed the Perks of Being a Wallflower and Flight"

Essay 5 pages (1568 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Smashed, the Perks of Being a Wallflower and Flight

Flight and the Perks of Being a Wallflower

Robert Zemeckis 2012 American drama film Flight, Stephen Chbosky's American 2012 comedy-drama the Perks of Being a Wallflower, and James Ponsoldt's American comedy-drama Smashed discuss with regard to antisocial protagonists who have a hard time being appreciated for their true value. These motion pictures put across feelings related to addiction, loneliness, and self-discovery in an attempt to influence viewers to sympathize central characters in spite of the fact that they initially tend to appear unappealing. The three directors concentrate on introducing feelings related to a sad form of sincerity -- an idea that is meant to induce intense emotions in audiences as they go through major events in the films alongside of main characters.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower presents Charlie (Logan Lerman), the protagonist, as he tries to fit in despite that he is shy and reluctant to express his feelings openly. Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller) are sister and brother and are unhesitant about welcoming Charlie in their circle of friends, as they appear to be among the only ones who appreciate his personality. Charlie gradually integrates in the community are develops a stronger connection to Sam as she too starts to emphasize her fondness for him. Conditions become critical as Charlie disappoints one of Sam's friends by breaking her heart and as Patrick homosexuality becomes public. It is only by helping Patrick while in a fight that Charlie manages to reconnect with Sam and her brother. As the two leave Charlie is left to reconsider his past and the trauma he experienced as a child, only to slowly reintegrate the social order alongside of Sam and Patrick as they return from college.

Flight displays Denzel Washington as the central character, Whip Whitaker, as he is a plane pilot coming across an especially controversial episode that influences him to reassess his drug addiction and the effects that it has on others. The fact that he is unhesitant about taking cocaine and drinking alcohol during a flight that he manages to land safely in spite of serious turbulences and the death of six individuals makes him a public individual and influences the authorities in deciding whether he should praised because of his piloting skills or whether he should be severely penalized because of his mental state at the time when the plane crashed. He starts to continue drinking alcohol and taking drugs until he is sent to prison for acknowledging that he was actually under the substance's influence when he piloted the plane. This experience influences him to become sober and practically changes his general perspective on life.

Smashed presents Kate and Charlie, a married couple that enjoys connecting with each-other, as it goes through a series of events making it possible for them to acknowledge the condition they are in. Kate takes things too far by going into a drug binge, but slowly recovers as she becomes better acquainted with the benefits of being sober.

Both Whip and Charlie have trouble accepting who they are because they are tormented by the personalities that they took on as a coping mechanism during recent years. Kate is similarly unable to accept her condition and attempts to hide her actual personae, even with the fact that he encounters serious problems in doing so. Whip has a dysfunctional family and is probably unable to keep in touch with them because of his drug-abuse problem while it is obvious that Charlie went through a childhood trauma that rendered him unable to integrate and that is apparently responsible for him being untrusting in individuals who he interacts with. Even with the fact that one might be inclined to consider that their personalities are different, they use similar coping mechanisms. Whip concentrates on consuming alcohol and drugs while Charlie is hesitant about making new friends. They each want to preserve an idea of themselves that is not actually real. The fact that they do so further alienates them and makes it difficult for them to develop connections as people rarely get the chance to see beyond their appearance.

Flight, Smashed, and the Perks of Being a Wallflower all use well-known actors as protagonists and this is reflected by the clever acting that they present audiences with. While it would be absurd to compare Logan Lerman to Denzel Washington because of the latter's background in the film industry, it is nonetheless intriguing to see a young actor putting across such impressive acting. Secondary actors in all three films are also famous actors, taking into account that Flight has individuals like Don Cheadle and Ron Goodman while the Perks of Being a Wallflower has actors such as Emma Watson. This combination of actors makes it possible for all three films to induce intense feelings in audiences as viewers sympathize with characters and are eventually provided with the impression that they too have the opportunity to learn something valuable from the episodes that these characters go through.

Casting plays an essential role in all three movies because it adds to the realism that they are obviously meant to express. It appears that the directors focused on choosing actors that would identify with the characters they are playing in hope that this would provide viewers with the feeling that they are actually watching a documentary film speaking about unfortunate events in the lives of some people. Denzel Washington perfectly plays the role of a fallen superstar who simply wants to get his life back together. Similarly, Emma Watson is the perfect rebellious and yet rational girl who is able to acknowledge the problems that some people experience and that actually manages to get these people to confront their past in order to be able to move on. Even with the fact that Ponsoldt and the actors in his motion picture are all relatively unknown in comparison with actors in the other two films, they manage to put across clever acting and influence viewers in feeling that it would be perfectly normal for them to express empathy toward characters.

The protagonists and the plots in these films provide viewers with the feeling that they are presented with stories of broken heroes that have been corrupted by the social order. This is actually a paradox, as they practically focus on demonstrating that society can make individuals put across antisocial behavior. The paradox continues as the rest of the characters in the films gradually come to acknowledge that these individuals are praiseworthy and that there is more than meets the eyes when considering all central characters. It appears that the directors wanted viewers to feel that they are invited to take part in the action as they go through great efforts in an attempt to understand more about the personality of each of the characters.

While someone might be inclined to consider that topics that the three films put across have been previously addressed by a series of film directors, the truth is that each film brings something new to the subject that it discusses. It is probable that the fact that the motion pictures were shown to the public this year contributes to the feeling of realism that they are meant to express, as they are contemporary and seem likely to happen, especially when considering the complex nature of the present-day society.

All three films provide viewers with a rather grey portrayal of the world, taking into account that they show the protagonists struggling to make it in a society that provides them with all the reasons to fail. Whip's addiction and Sam and Patrick's rebellious behavior put across the feeling that society is a deranged place where one needs to take on illegal attitudes in order to feel… READ MORE

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