As we are midway through 2018, it is safe to say that the year in film has not disappointed cinephiles, including myself. Already in the first half of 2018, I have given out my share of 4 reel reviews, something that was only given twice in the first half of 2017. With that being said, despite great filmmaking throughout the year’s first seven months, there had yet to be a film that I grasped an emotional connection to; that was until this past weekend’s screening of Eighth Grade.
At its surface, the premise of Eighth Grade is simplistic. We are introduced to the world of Kayla Day, who is set to graduate middle school as she enters the last week of eighth grade. However, despite the premise’s simplicity, the film pulls no punches as it is a brutal, realistic look at the fears of young adolescence.
In director Bo Burnham’s debut, he is able to bring a sense of empathy and understanding not only to the mind of a 13-year old teenage girl but teenagers of any gender. Throughout the film, we see the hard truth of 2018 in middle school in today’s society. A reality that can to be full of fear, pain, and heartache. In doing so, Burnham’s able to capture all these emotions in a way that is relatable to any individual who has been a teenager.
While I won’t divulge any of the moments, the film is quite hilarious. There are moments dealing with first crushes, which are overly emphasized with the film’s score, and moments of teenage excitement that we could all relate to. The film also touches on the seriousness of modern day school shootings, while adding a touch of dark comedy to it that hits on all levels.
In regards to performances, there cannot and should not be any review of this film without praising the work of Elsie Fisher as Kayla. Her performance is extremely brave as she is able to express a realistic sense of vulnerability and desperation seen by all teenagers. Along with that, Fisher is also able to put to light the difficulty of an only child raised in a single parent’s home. Only children do not have the benefit of learning from an older brother/sister and will have to go through the world by learning on their own and Fisher nails that in every way throughout the film. Saying that this is my favorite performance of the year thus far would be an understatement.
Now I know what the readers may be thinking, how did a 32-year old connect to a 13-year-old eighth grader? It’s quite complex as I looked at this film from the eyes of a once 13-year-old socially awkward eighth grader who thought of ways and actions that I could do to fit in. We’ve all been there, and social acceptance did not come easy for many of us and the film captures that in such a realistic tone and I feel that it brought back moments that had me thinking, ” I get you. I totally get you.”
I also viewed this film as a parental figure. Now, while I don’t have any kids at the moment, it was hard to not view this film as an education to parenthood for a growing teenager. Eighth Grade is able to capture not only the difficulty of being a 13-year-old but also the difficulty of being a parent. From a simple dinner between father and daughter, where Mark just wants to know how Kayla’s day went, however, that does not go far as Kayla is too consumed with her phone to have a touching father/daughter moment towards the end of the film that shows the importance of the patience of parenthood.
While coming of age stories have been done often, Eighth Grade gets it. It gets the fact that it did not have to be simply a trip to the movies but it can be an educational realistic look at today’s teenager. Parents and their teens should look to watch this on their next trip to the movie theater. Eighth Grade is my best film of 2018 thus far. Gucci!
Reel Talk gives Eighth Grade 4 Reels
