Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis, Luke Prael, Catherine Oliviere, Nora Mullins, Gerald W. Jones, Missy Yager, Shacha Temirov, Greg Crowe
Description: An introverted teenage girl (Elsie Fisher) tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school.
Review: “Eighth Grade” got the feared R-rating in the US, because they claimed it wasn’t suitable for viewers younger than 17 years old. It happens a lot, but “Eighth Grade” is that movie that not only centers a thirteen year-old girl, but also aims for an audience in that age category. Director Bo Burnham got some options, to cut certain elements and make it ‘more age appropriate’ ( it was based on a few ‘fucks’ and a scene were they talk about oral sex), but he stood by his film. To make a statement, he showed the film in all states for free, where age was not an issue.
Insecure teenager Kayla doesn’t exactly have the most spectacular social life. She is a wallflower and even named “most quiet” in her school. Her non-stop social media activity might make you think differently. Because each free moment Kayla has, she spends on her phone or laptop, scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. She even makes her own YouTube videos, where she gives advice about daily struggles. But everything she does online, does reflect her personality or interests. It’s simple her way of showing the world she is out there and she hoper to receive some attention.
“Eighth Grade” manages to deal with daily teen struggles in a serious way and I think many kids that are Kayla’s age, will leave this film thinking about it. Because it’s not a light film where all the misfortune that happens will eventually go away and problems solve themselves. It’s more a film with a bittersweet ending. And that’s a good thing. Burnham didn’t sugar coat anything. He takes Kayla and his viewers very seriously.
“Eighth Grade” is an honest film. It tells the story with present-day themes of teenagers, without become preachy about social media. It’s clear that, while reading between the lines, social media knows who to play with the insecurity of people, but it’s not a necessity for a 13-year-old girl to feel better about herself.
The film feels realistic, because the people in the film feel like actual people you could meet on the street. The dialogue doesn’t feel scripted, is raw and genuine. And most of all, Elsie Fisher who plays Kayla, is the beating heart of “ Eighth Grade”. A kind girl, without any vanity, who simply doesn’t understand why people are mean to her when she’s always nice to everyone.
“Eight Grade” should be viewed in school, to kids in Kayla’s age category. And showed to their parents as well. Because it’s an important film, that needs a bigger audience.
Rating: 4,5 / 5
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