• What
soundtrack decisions could help successfully recreate the themes of the book
and reach its target audience?
The soundtrack has to include favorite songs by Charlie,
Sam, and Patrick, as their common love for alternative, dark music cements
their bond. Popular, more “mainstream” music would lump them in with preppy
students like Charlie’s sister, who they don’t vilify but tend to avoid.
An example song could be “Asleep,” as Charlie includes it
twice on the mixtape he makes Patrick for Christmas. Its gentle melancholy also
characterizes Charlie’s mood throughout the novel as he struggles with his
memories of Aunt Helen’s abuse, the dramas of his peers, and his attempts to
navigate his first year of high school. Charlie is a passive character who
tries not to make a scene, similar to the quiet pleads of the singer in “Asleep.”
Sam urges Charlie to take action, saying he “can’t just sit there and put
everybody’s lives ahead of [his].” Like the weary singer, Charlie prefers to
quietly slip by than play an active role in his life.
David Bowie’s “Heroes” is essential for the scenes in which Charlie and Sam drive under the tunnel, as it was playing in those scenes during the book. The lyrics to that song describe an alliance between a man and a woman who rule the world like a king and queen, just as Charlie fantasizes about being Sam’s romantic and platonic partner. The act of driving under the tunnel symbolically unites them in such a bond, so it’s necessary that it stays in the film.
• Which
scenes are essential to keep in order to not change the heart of the film?
It’s important to keep every one of Charlie’s memories of
his aunt Helen, as well as his memories of visiting her grave. Helen’s
molestation of Charlie attributes to his depression, but the fact that he
remained so loyal to her during her life and after death is all the more
poignant. It casts Charlie as a truly empathetic, nonjudgmental, kind, and
forgiving character. It is not only the abuse itself that scars him; it’s the
conflict he feels between loathing his aunt for what she did and also feeling a
special connection to her. That connection cuts even deeper as Charlie blames
himself for her death, since she perished in a car accident when she was out
buying him a birthday present. Charlie’s inner tumult causes him to gradually
break down and eventually collapse, causing the climax of the book’s plot.
• What cuts might need to be made—whether it’s a scene, event, subplot, or minor character? What would have to be excluded in order to keep what’s most important?
I would cut the scenes of family holidays— while the antics of Charlie’s family are amusing (especially those of his drunken, bigoted grandpa), they aren’t essential to the book’s theme of finding your identity in high school and honestly don’t seem that original. Alcoholic, batty relatives are a common, easy device for a writer to use to get laughs, so I found those scenes rather bland and unspecific to the heart of the story. Although those scenes may enhance the relatability of Charlie’s character, the target teenage audience could empathize with his struggles enough without them (particularly his confrontations with depression, drugs, and partying).
