Middle school may have been the worst, but Bo Burnhamβs new indie, coming-of-age story, ‘Eighth Grade’, definitely is not.
Finishing up the eighth grade meant closing the chapter on the most awkward, uncomfortable three years of your life. Middle school behaved more like a pressure cooker for tweenagers unable to cope with their raging hormones nor navigate the social anarchy it created around them.
YouTube sensation and comedian Bo Burnham makes his directorial debut with the newly released film, Eighth Grade, which behaves more like a cinematic time-machine, that transports viewers back to the seemingly endless, pivotal, and socially anxious days of middle school, but in the best and most emotionally raw way possible.
Eighth Grade tells the story of 13-year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she faces her final week of junior high. Our young heroine seems to walk the halls of her school unnoticed. Kayla isnβt exactly what one would describe as a social pariah, but her lack of any close friends leaves her invisible and a total wallflower amongst her classmates. Ironically, Kayla finds solace in her YouTube series titled βKaylaβs Korner,β where she dissects the inβs and outβs of adolescence to a non-existent audience. It becomes almost immediately apparent that while Kaylaβs wise words on βhow to be yourselfβ and βhow to put yourself out thereβ are incredibly profound ideas for such a young being to divulge, she falls short on taking her own advice.
In a digital age that feeds on social validation and life-experience comparisons that enhances personal insecurities, Kayla falls victim to scrolling through a never-ending array of Instagram and Twitter posts depicting seemingly happy people. Although digital media is a large influence in Kaylaβs journey, Eighth Grade doesnβt place any overt blame on screen usage. It simply recognizes it as an undeniable factor in contemporary life for young adolescents attempting to navigate their already chaotic lives.
Kaylaβs overtly crippling social-anxiety makes for some oddly relatable humor, but make her moments of strength and groundedness that much more notable. In an unforgettable scene where high schooler Riley (Daniel Zolghadri) attempts to βtruth or dareβ Kayla into an uncomfortable, sexual encounter, Kayla no longer turns towards others to dictate her behavior, but presents her own subdued fortitude in an unprecedented interaction. The filmβs most charming relationship is between Kayla and her overly concerned and quirky father Mark (Josh Hamilton), who wants the world to see his special girl the way he does, as a bright, wise-beyond-her-years, mini-adult with a goofy personality. Although their relationship is heartwarming and sweet, and extremely relatable, the one question Eighth Grade sets up, but fails to answer is what really happened with Kaylaβs mom, and how has this affected Kaylaβs social and emotional development. Perhaps tangential from Kaylaβs eventful final days as a middle schooler, these unanswered questions loom over certain parts of the film and temporarily distract from the central storyline.
Nevertheless, Burnham sets up a clear understanding of the modern day middle school experience through a relatable (on any level) story. This coming-of-age film depicts the good, the bad, and all the unforgettable moments that make middle school and eighth grade so unmistakably vital through a rich and compassionate story arc. Overall, Eighth Grade is undeniablyΒ “Gucci!”
Check out a trailer for Eighth Grade below!
