After waiting a year for the film adaptation of John Green’s bestselling novel, I saw “Paper Towns” and was not disappointed. Although the plot and details differ from the book, the screenwriter, director, and actors do an exceptional job depicting the story and its message in a way that stays true to Green’s tale.

“Paper Towns” chronicles the enigmatic Margo Roth Spiegelman (Cara Delevingne) and her less illustrious counterpart and next-door neighbor Quentin “Q” Jacobsen (Nat Wolff). Over the years, Margo had been known to disappear frequently; without warning, her family would find her gone, leaving nothing but a trail of vague clues in her wake. She would always return safely and at her leisure, but in the meantime, her friends, family, and peers could only speculate on her whereabouts, consuming and creating fantastical rumors.

So when Margo disappears after taking Q on a slightly delinquent, vengeful midnight adventure, nobody is too surprised. But this time is different; Q is sure that the clues Margo left are meant for him, and he is determined to find her.

The story of “Paper Towns” is compelling for many reasons, which are present in the film as well as the novel. Green cites the main message of the book as a reminder that people are not always what they seem and that to understand them is to imagine them complexly, not as we want to see them and not as they want to be seen.

This is certainly true; as Q finds out more and more about Margo’s disappearance, he discovers more of the reasons behind it, and the unexpected things he learns compel him to think differently about the girl he thought he’d always known.

However, I think the movie also teaches us that we need to find a balance between searching for happiness and finding it in relationships we already have. Throughout the film, we see Q pursuing his search for Margo at the cost of his closeness with his best friends, and vice versa. Although finding Margo is important to Q, the memories and friendships he made in the process are just as important; this gives us advice for our own pursuit of happiness.

“Paper Towns” is a stunning coming-of-age tale that raises interesting points about self-discovery, true happiness, and building and maintaining healthy relationships.