Review of Eighth Grade (2018) by Logan C — 14 Aug 2018

"I'm really, like, nervous all the time. I try really hard not to feel that way, but you just need to face your fears and let people know the real you.".

"Eighth Grade" is written and directed by comedian/early YouTube celebrity Bo Burnham and is his directorial debut. In "Eighth Grade" we get a glimpse into the life of Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) as she experiences her last week of eighth grade and all the highs and lows, changes, and trials and tribulations that come with being a teenager.

We are immediately introduced to Kayla as she makes a self-help/advice video to upload to her YouTube channel "Kayla's Korner." However, she seldom seems to accept her own advice. Kayla is your average eighth grader/middle school student...though not as hollywood would typically portray. She has acne and her teeth aren't perfectly straight. She is not model-thin. She fumbles for words or uses filler words such as "like" or "umm" a lot. She is shy, insecure, awkward, quiet, struggles to express herself, deals with anxiety and is not very confident. She is very much an introvert. At least in the "real world." When she is making her videos, she still exhibits most of these characteristics, but she is more confident and has a lot to say. She has a lot to say in the real world as well, but no one will take the time to get to know her and she doesn't have many, if any, friends. Even online in what would appear to be the closest to her comfort zone, her videos only get 1-3 views per video. Seemingly the only person who is really rooting for her and whom is there for her, is her dad, Mark (Josh Hamilton). He is a single father raising his daughter, but you can tell how much he truly loves her and how he wants the best for her. He can come off as a bit goofy at times in an attempt to relate to or connect with his daughter. He also tries to shower her with abundant affection. This can lead to Kayla becoming a little annoyed with him. Mark isn't the only one who tries to connect with the younger generation through use of their lingo and mimicking of their actions. The principal will dab, the sex ed video will say that what's to follow is going to be "lit", etc. At school, Kayla walks through the halls with hunched shoulders and her gaze directed at the ground while everyone around her talks with their friends or appears excited for summer and moving on to high school. She keeps to herself, though no one really tries to interact with her to begin with. On the rare occasion she does try to speak up she is quiet and no one pays her any attention/notices. She is simply trying to survive this final week of eighth grade. When she gets home and her father tries to talk to her she is on her phone, earbuds in, and not engaged in the conversation. When she goes up to her room she is on her computer or still the phone. She looks through everyone's social media accounts and can't help but compare her life to their's which appears to her to be perfect. And the next day...she lives it all over again.

This may sound like a bummer of a film, but it is honestly one of the most heartwarming, reassuring, and endearing I have seen in years thanks in no small part to Elsie Fisher's breakout performance in a truly star-making role (filming started one week after she graduated eighth grade.) She plays Kayla with such a tenderness, innocence, naivete, kindness, and sadness that you can't help but root for her. When something goes right for her you are happy for her. When things go wrong you feel upset if not heartbroken. Too often you might wonder when something is going well in her life if or when the hammer will drop. Perhaps most impressive however, Fisher gives an incredibly honest, vulnerable, and real performance (with assistance from Burnham's fantastic script and directing.) Dialogue and situations/actions/reactions feel so natural that it doesn't feel scripted (but it is.) There is no attempt at overly complex dialogue for the sake of trying to sound smart, no constant one-liners or perfect worded/poetic declarations of love that sound like a 40 year old screenwriter wrote them. It feels and sounds like it is all coming from a 13 year old who doesn't always know what they are trying to say. Every stammer/loss of words, every filler word, every cringe-worthy/awkward moment is intentional and Elsie Fisher nails it everytime. I keep going back to it, but her performance/portrayal of Kayla is so refreshingly real. The film really feels as if you are a spectator or someone who stumbled upon a video diary looking in on this girl's final week of eighth grade. Another fantastic performance comes from Josh Hamilton whom plays Mark/Kayla's dad. You feel for him as much as you feel for Kayla. You see how hard this father is trying to connect with his daughter and more often than not he just can't seem t0 connect with her as she doesn't want to open up. As an audience you want him to succeed and you feel his pain when he cannot (though it is not from lack of trying.) Hamilton plays Mark as a father who wants to be there for his daughter, but isn't exactly sure how to do so at times. It's a really great and nuanced performance. Regarding some of the supporting actors/characters, special mention goes to Jake Ryan who plays the wonderfully strange and awkward Gabe. Honestly everyone involved, right down to some hilarious extras, did a great job. Overall, there are no weak links among the cast.

On a technical level this film looks really good. There is nothing particularly new or that stands out in the way that it is shot, but it is exceptional. Most of the time it almost feels like you are watching a documentary or some kind of video diary. There are some noteworthy flourishes here and there as well. One example of this occurs at a pool party. The camera pans in slow motion over the other kids having fun in various ways and all the while in the background you see Kayla standing on the other side of a sliding glass door seemingly unsure and sad/nervous about joining the others. Another shot occurs during a school assembly and shows the camera overhead looking down as all the students are on their phones. There is no use of greenscreen and everything is shot practical (those are real phones with real social media accounts, real locations, etc.) There is some really effective use of editing and music as well. One example is that everytime Kayla sees this one boy she likes, the camera zooms close on his eyes and booming electronic music plays. It's amussingly jarring and works really well. Music plays a more important role than that though. It is usually used to help transition scenes. The music almost mimics or compliments Kayla's current mood, situation, or thoughts.

Just as under the surface Kayla has a lot to say, so too does the movie itself. While never feeling like it is beating you over the head, wagging it's finger or preaching, a good bit of the film can be viewed as social commentary on the use of and over-reliance/obsession with technology and how it can affect your confidence and how you view the world and those around you. Adolescence is challenging enough without having to maintain a perceived flawless self-image on social media or worrying that everything you do could be scrutinized and uploaded in a second. It adds a whole new layer of stress. Almost anytime a kid is on screen they are buried in or interacting with their phone. At night when she turns the lights off in her room Kayla's face is illuminated just by her phone as she swipes aimlessy looking at others' accounts thus making her feel like everyone is living amazing lives and she is missing out. When she tries to talk to the "popular" girls, they just stare at their phones and respond absent-mindedly. They don't even know what she just said. During a drill for a school shooting, the kids are under their desks, but still glued to their phones. These are just some of the many examples in the film, but it's not all in a damning light. The film also shows how, when in moderation, social media/technology can be a good thing. When, via text, Kayla is asked to join a group of friends she becomes happy and excited.

Other ideas that the film presents via Kayla's videos are to be yourself and not care what others think of you, self-confidence, and putting yourself out there. However, perhaps the most important theme/issue this film has throughout is that of anxiety and how to deal with/manage it. In an interview, Burnham said that one of his goals was to take a seemingly mundane day/week and view it from the perspective of someone who deals with anxiety and is going through drastic changes. In this way the simple task of walking through a door to join classmates is turned into a daunting mountain of tension. These little moments can make everything feel like life or death. Especially in the mind of a middle school student. He nails it and Elsie sells it. I have never seen anxiety in film depicted in such a realistic light and nothing about it seems exploitative or fake. Kayla is so anxious around the boy she likes that she pretends to know about certain topics that she knows nothing about (which leads to a funny scene involving the internet and a banana...) Other times she will trip over and repeat her words. In a more extreme scenario, as alluded to earlier, she is invited to a popular classmate's birthday pool party, though they don't really want her there. When Kayla is dropped off at the house she walks inside and pauses to look around as if she is trying to observe her surroundings and assess her current situation. Immediately after, she goes to the bathroom to change into her swimsuit and she has a mini panic attack. When she is finally ready to join the others outside, she freezes at the door and watches from the other side, with a look of uncertainty and sadness on her face, as all the other kids have a fun time. Later in a harrowing scene, Kayla is in a terrifying and uncomfortable situation, but lacks the courage to speak up. When she finally does speak up, she feels bad about doing so. These are just some of the many examples of how Burnham and Fisher personify the feeling and effect of anxiety. Sometimes it is heartbreaking and at it's extreme it is terrifying. It all feels too real.

I will not spoil it here, but I have to give a brief mention to my favorite moment in the film. It takes place in front of a firepit and comes at a heartbreaking point where Kayla seems to be at her lowest point emotionaly. Josh Hamilton's character gives one of the most beautiful monologues/speeches I have heard in some time. The whole scene honestly brought a tear to my eyes. It is so beautiful and endearing.

While Eighth Grade is first and foremost a drama, it has a good bit of funny, often times hilarious comedic moments both visual and spoken and you shouldn't expect any less from Bo Burnham. Most the time the comedy comes from the things characters say. It even creeps it's way into even the most cringe-worthy moments and you can't help but laugh at these moments while simultaniously feeling empathy for Kayla. In my personal opinion though, the funniest moments usually come in short, unexpected 2 or so second long verbal outbursts from off camera. One of these left me laughing longer than it should have and the elder couple in front of me just didn't get the joke/reference. Again, while it is more of a drama, Burnham peppers in enough comedy to keep it from feeling too serious or bleak without overdoing it.

If I had to mention any detractions (and I am nitpicking here) I suppose I would say that while the execution is a little more original, we have seen this "trope" and type of story done before. This is nitpicking though. I honestly can't think of anything I didn't love about this film.

Bo Burnham has stated in interviews that initially the film was never supposed to be about eighth grade. He wanted to make a film about how he felt at the time/currently regarding the world at large, the constantly changing shift in technology, anxiety, and really everything else going on in his life. He eventually likened how he felt/feels, and how he imagines the world felt/feels, to what it was like being an eighth grader. He wanted to make a film about how intense/aggressive small things can be or seem. Furthermore he wanted to put an emphasis on how eighth graders today must feel as opposed to a few years ago. When it came to finding a lead actor/actress Bo watched hundreds of young adults' videos on social media. He noticed that the boys at that age were more focused on video games and the girls tended to have more emotional depth and were a little more concerned with more thought-provoking, if not less trivial, issues. So he decided to make the protagonist a girl.

I will be completely honest: I love this film. It completely floored me and caught me off guard. It is not that the story is some kind of grand epic or drastically different than anything we have seen before, but the execution is so well done that it feels fresh and genuine. I am not in eighth grade nor am I a 13 year old girl, but so much of this movie and Kayla's story resonated with me on a personal level that I was not expecting. The personification/portrayal of anxiety is incredibly accurate and shockingly so. It never feels played up. These are feelings and ideas that are more easlily articulated through teens, but we all deal with them to varying degrees as we continue through life. Throughout the entire movie I kept thinking to myself "that was me" or "I was Kayla" (in regards to headspace/emotions/some experiences/etc.) I still am in many ways and this film is a reminder that it is okay. Burnham's writing and Fisher's acting perfectly convey what it felt/feels like to experience all these thoughts, feelings, and changes going on at once. I cannot remember the last time a film hit so close to home personally.

"Eighth Grade", much like the real thing, is a roller-coaster. It is equal parts heartwarming, funny, and heartbreaking. It is honest and sometimes brutally so as well as timely and insightful. Bo Burnham and Elsie Fisher have created and brought to life the perfect collage of highs and lows from an important time in all our lives, from the awkwardly funny to the horribly terrifying. While watching, you can't help but think back to your own experiences. It is truly a marvel how Burnham pulled all this off so seemlessly. For a directorial debut the film is better than it has any right to be. The writing and acting are honest and authentic across the board. Elsie Fisher is perfectly imperfect and you can't help but fall in love with her performance and character. "Eighth Grade" is a film that does more than simply entertain. It has a heart beating at it's center and a purpose and message it wants you to hear/feel. Not everyone will connect with this film on the same level as I did and that is fine. We are all different. That said, anyone who has experienced adolescence can find something here to relate to.

"Eighth Grade" is a truly special film that excels above its peers. Gucci!