As far as teenage/adolescent movies go, Bo Burnham’s Eight Grade is one of the most achingly authentic ones ever made. The film never relies on clichés and its earnest but bluntly honest tone is complimented by the evident sincerity behind Burnham’s intentions. The film’s ultimate emotional payoff is all the richer because it never succumbs to cheap emotional manipulation- the kind of manipulation invented for teenage films by people who were apparently never real teenagers, themselves.
Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is experiencing her final days of eighth grade. She is painfully shy, has few friends, and makes the decision to start putting herself out there so she can socially bloom before high school. She starts posting a motivational video blog, sharing her experiences and insights in hopes of helping others. In her quest to broaden her life, she finds herself in increasingly uncomfortable social situations, all heightened in the film to hilarious and sometimes-terrifying extremes to match the sensitivity of her age and character.
First and foremost, Eighth Grade works as well as it does because it has a great protagonist. Kayla is well intentioned and good-hearted, but by no means a saint. She is drawn to the jerk in her class with the great eyes, prepared to compromise anything just to get his attention. In her efforts to attract the popular kids, she forgets the imperfect potential cohorts standing on the sidelines right next to her.
Simply put, Kayla is human. And she’s thirteen. She’s neither a black-and-white lovable geek nor is she a brainless nymphomaniac driven by her budding hormones. We don’t see teenage characters like her too often, and it’s shockingly refreshing when we do.
Fisher delivers a wonderful, subtle, and internalized performance as Kayla. Her face always lets us see her thought process, particularly in the moments she’s too overwhelmed to express herself verbally. Josh Hamilton is equally great as her well-meaning single father.
The relationship between them is one of the simplest and greatest pleasures the film provides. It’s a complex but loving one that the film respects, never once dipping into easy laughs (the clueless dad moments are funny and moving without making him a buffoon) or, most thankfully, forced dysfunction for dramatic weight. It’s a relief that Eighth Grade allows this unique father-daughter representations to simply exist without the trite peppering most films of this type feel obligated to provide.
Writer-director Bo Burnham’s feature directorial debut showcases style, class, and a gift for bringing the best, most naturalistic performances out of his actors. It feels like a seasoned professional at the top of his or her game was behind it, as its intentions are precisely communicated without being sloppily heavy-handed.
There’s something both docu-realistic and slightly fantastical about Eighth Grade. The kids are real, from their acne to their weight. Everything about them is tangible and relatable. At just the right moments, however, Burnham adds a layer of whimsy, style, and artistry to highlight the most emotionally charged moments of Kayla’s anticipation or discomfort. These emotional shifts come with the territory of the film’s subject matter, and their clever and beautiful execution is what ultimately propels the film into something truly unforgettable.
Warts and all, Eight Grade is a wonderful depiction of the age that rides the cusp of childhood and adulthood. While it doesn’t shy away from darker aspects of the age, the film also doesn’t dwell upon or exploit them. As a result, the film is an accessible, smart, and only moderately painful reminder of the most emotionally confusing time in all of our lives.
GRADE: A
