December 5, 2017 – I held off watching this tear-jerker of a sentimental movie until yesterday, when I finally got around to watching it. I needed a hanky for this one. But it is much more than a sentimental movie about a young boy seeking friendship in school, it is also a film about how one situation can be seen from different points of view. It is also a film about strength in unity and diversity.

I was impressed by the unusual structure of this film which allows the audience to see situations from the perspectives of several different characters. In this way, one story becomes many, and the many stories also become one story. This movie is based on a book of the same name, written by Raquel Jaramillo, under the pen name of R. J. Palacio, which in turn was inspired by Natalie Merchant's song of the same name.

The central character, August “Augie” Pullman(played by Jacob Tremblay of “Room”), afflicted by a genetic disorder, Treacher Collins syndrome, has a badly disfigured face. After many surgeries and being home-schooled by his mother, Isabel (Julia Roberts of “Money Monster”) Augie is dreading his first day of public school, and how the other students will react to his appearance.

Augie, who wants to grow up to be an astronaut, often hides his face inside a toy astronaut helmet, but has to take it off for school. That first day goes about how you would expect, children stare, there are uncomfortable silences, followed by insulting remarks. He is hurt, he is embarrassed, but he soldiers on, day after day.

Augie has some things going for him. He is very smart and has a deep knowledge of science. He also has a sharp sense of humor. He makes friends with another student, Jack Will (played by Noah Jupe) after helping Jack with his homework. Jack is the first boy to sit with Augie at lunch, and the two become best friends. But later, when Augie overhears Jack talking about him behind his back, he feels betrayed and once again is friendless.

We are then exposed to another point of view, that of Augie's sister, the long-suffering Olivia “Via” Pullman (Izabela Vidovic of “Homefront”) who feels neglected because so much of her family's attention and effort is focused on Augie. She leaned heavily on the emotional support of her grandmother, who had recently died, and on her best friend, Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell of “Pandemic”) had stopped talking to her for reasons unknown to Via.

Via, feeling alone and unappreciated, has a chance encounter with another student, Justin (Nadji Jeter of “The 5th Wave”) who gets her interested in theater. She ends up in a play, Thornton Wilder's “Our Town” with Justin and Miranda. The movie switches viewpoints once again, and we get to see things from Miranda's viewpoint, and learn her story. We also get to see Jack's point of view, as he swings back into Augie's orbit.

In the meantime, Augie is doing better in his first year of school, and is befriended by another student, Summer (Millie Davis of “The Odd Squad” TV series). Augie has many adventures in his first year of school, is targeted by bullies and gets into his first fight. Jack stands up for Augie, as do others, who band together against the bullies. Augie emerges triumphant, hailed as a unifier of people.

The world is like this movie, sometimes. If only it was that way all the time. In this movie, the school teachers and administrators are wise, enlightened and supportive of Augie and others who are trying to do the right thing. Justice is dispensed. In this story, people of different races band together in unity to fight injustice and the forces of evil. They stand up. They resist. In the real world, there are powerful forces trying to keep these groups of people separate, divided and oppressed.

This is a truly inspired and wonderful movie that celebrates love, compassion, empathy, diversity and the triumph of tolerance over hatred, envy, jealousy and those who would abuse their power. I was very moved by this and am very impressed with the skills, not only of the actors, but writer-director, Stephen Chbosky, who directed another excellent film about school kids, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012). This film rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2017 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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