Eighth Grade — Review
It is rare that a movie can capture age appropriately. Several movies and TV shows that try to appeal to adolescence do so in ways that are absolute hyperbole of being 13–18 or they utilize actors way beyond this age range, giving true adolescences a false interpretation of their reality. To be succinct and clear, what audiences will get from Bo Burnham’s debut feature Eighth Grade, is an honest and subtle peek into the life of an eighth grader, Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher). The film takes place during Kayla’s final week of eighth grade. She lives in suburban New York with her single dad, Mark Day (Josh Hamilton). The film does Generation Z justice by taking elements such as mental health, social media, sexuality, consent, and the general awkwardness of being a thirteen year old and putting it all into a cohesive story that doesn’t pity any of its characters. Kayla runs a YouTube channel where she frequently tells her viewers to be confident, although she struggles with basic social interactions on a nearly daily basis.
A big irony that plays throughout the film is how everyone at her school is dialed into social media almost 24 hours a day, the kids are very focused on how they look online and how many followers they have, yet face-to-face interactions are met with rambling and choppy dialogue. One scene, in particular, Kayla is upset that two girls never responded to her hand-written letter after she thanked them for inviting her to a pool party. Kayla says to the girls, “You’re always mean to me, and I’m always nice to you, and being mean isn’t nice. And when someone does something nice to you, you’re supposed to be nice back”. This simple declaration can seemingly reveal Kayla’s naïve perception of the world but it shows that Kayla lives her life with intentionality and consideration that is above the standard middle school student. Kayla as a protagonist is a joy to watch grow up. When she’s not making vlogs for her YouTube subscribers, she makes personal vlogs aimed at her future self. She sets goals and is always looking to improve herself. Burnham’s vision for this film captures the awkwardness that surrounds being an eighth-grader while simultaneously showing his audience how vital that awkwardness is for growth. Younger audiences may see this film and get excited to see an accurate portrayal of their current lives. For older audiences, this film might be a nostalgic trip to a list of many first experiences — the first crush, kiss, or big party.
At the time of this review, Bo Burnham is 28 and he has seen life before and after the take over of smartphones. Rather than ignoring the phone, Burnham effortlessly integrates iPhones into the film as they are at the waist of nearly every student and at all times. Kayla’s phone is its own character in the film, without judgment, the phone is placed in the film as her closest companion. Eighth Grade doesn’t extend itself to being more than a movie about being thirteen. This movie will surely live on in the hearts of Millennials and Generation Z as a story that just “gets it” when it comes to being adolescence. Gone are the days of falsifying the experience of growing up on the screen where characters behave far more adult or scandalous than they do in real life. Every minute of this film is enjoyable and charmingly sensitive.
Eighth Grade is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
