While watching “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” it is easy to laugh at the characters because of the things they say. “I don’t write poetry, poetry writes me,” one says, while others gripe over the difficulty of finding “good music.” Some of the film’s most memorable lines, taken straight out of the book, are “I feel infinite” and “We accept the love we think we deserve.”

We can laugh because these characters are the types of people who now would be referred to as hipsters. Regardless, Stephen Chbosky — author of the original 1999 novel and the screenwriter/director of the film — ignores such assumptions. He poignantly captures the complexity of growing up and facing a new and challenging world outside of one’s comfort zone. The film arrives at a perfect time, as many who grew up with the original novel are now graduating from college and thinking about what their futures hold. The terrific cast includes Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller and “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson in a role so unlike Hermione she truly reminds us of what it means to leave our childhoods behind.

Through his protagonist Charlie, Chbosky instills the message that growing up is terrifying, but the little moments — like driving down the highway with our best friends, blasting our favorite song — mean everything. No matter how scared we are of the future, Charlie reminds us, “You are alive,” and when he says it, there’s nothing insincere about it.

— Bethany McHugh