The Perks of Being a Wallflower ending explained: What ‘We are infinite’ and the Tunnel Scene mean to Charlie

It's been over a decade since The Perks of Being a Wallflower was released in theaters. Still, it holds a special place in anyone's heart who grew up before the advent of social media.

In the film, we see kids exchanging mixtapes to share their deepest and darkest secrets, trying to make themselves feel seen or heard. We see them finding comfort in each other's presence and longing for what any teenager would. It is filled with coming-of-age cliches that we know so well by now.

The film is about a first kiss, love, and heartbreak, just as it is about any innocent adolescent experience. Yet, underneath its genre tropes lies a heartbreaking tale of a teenage boy struggling to recover from his past traumas. He is painfully shy, which, at first glance, may seem like a disposition without any basis. That doesn't paint the complete picture.

At the end of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie joins Sam and Patrick in a truck. While driving through a tunnel, Sam plays David Bowie's classic 1977 track 'Heroes'. Charlie stands up the way Sam did the last time they went past this tunnel.

The fleeting moments hint at his sense of liberation as he finally gets the past burdens off his chest. To understand why, let's break down the plotline. Please note that it delves into the heavy topics such as s*xual abuse, bullying, and depression.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Reader discretion is advised.

What happens in The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a high school freshman growing up in the early 1990s. He is afraid of spending an entire year by himself and desperately seeks company. That gets particularly difficult since his old friends abandon him for greener pastures.

It all changes when Charlie lays eyes on one of his seniors, Patrick (Ezra Miller), who's seemingly devoid of any inhibitions. He and his stepsister, Sam (Emma Watson), take him under their wings and help him feel more open and free like themselves. They invite him to hang out with them and ensure he doesn't feel left out.

Charlie shares his first kiss with Sam. Soon, he gets into a relationship with her friend, Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), which falls apart as he breaks her heart. He sinks into depression, grows distant, and starts isolating himself. Soon, he patches things up, but it all comes crashing down as Sam leaves for college.

What happened in Charlie's past?

A still from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Image via YouTube/Movieclips)

Throughout the film, Charlie has some painful flashbacks about his aunt Helen (Melanie Lynskey), who lost her life while driving to fetch his 7th birthday present. He can't move on from her loss.

Initially, it may seem like he misses his aunt, who valued his creative pursuits when his parents didn't. However, the reality is far from tragic. In the end, it is revealed that Aunt Helen s*xually abused him as a child.

That's why he finds it hard to be vulnerable. He gets uncomfortable because of his repressed memories of his aunt. They trigger him as soon as Sam puts her hand on his thigh.

They manifest in his blackouts and emotional outbursts that do not always align with what we perceive him to be otherwise. So, when Sam leaves, he feels abandoned, unable to look away from those memories.

What do the film's final moments mean?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about Charlie trying to come to terms with his painful past, which keeps him in an endless cycle of shame and guilt about being responsible for his aunt's death. It is a compassionate portrait of childhood trauma, which can put people in denial.

Toward the film's end, Charlie finally opens up about these repressed memories, freeing himself from their burden. That's why the final moments represent him feeling freer as they drive through a tunnel, blasting the David Bowie track.

In those euphoric and life-affirming moments, he seemingly replicates what Sam did earlier. It feels like he can finally breathe freely when memories do not keep him in a shell but liberate him. Simultaneously, it also conveys him finally being open to life's "infinite" possibilities, shortly after Sam and Patrick tell him about their college lives.