Eighth Grade (2018)

I was checking my Twitter feed when I saw many tweets about Elsie Fisher, specifically praising her performance in Eighth Grade. I had never heard of her nor about the movie but everyone seemed to love both her and the film so I checked it out.

The film tells the story of Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), a shy, insecure and socially awkward teenage girl who suffers from anxiety and yet makes YouTube videos where she dispenses life advice. It follows Kayla as she navigates through the final days of eighth grade and goes through a series of emotions while trying to put herself out there. Whatever that means —if you've seen it, you know what I mean. 

Anyways, the film doesn't have much of a plot as we follow a series of random things happening to Kayla, which isn't that important as Eighth Grade is a coming-of-age story. The problem is that it doesn't differ much from other coming-of-age we've already seen. Sure, it is a very good commentary on the social media generation and the impact technology has on our lives as it shows how difficult it can be to build relationships in today's society since the youngsters spend their entire time on their phones and social media, but the narrative is dull and tedious, and the story evoked no emotional investment in me. 

As a character study, Eighth Grade is quite interesting. Kayla is the perfect example of a modern-day girl as well as a teenager most girls/grown women can relate to. She is obsessed with her phone and social media. She has a crush on the school's bad boy that goes nowhere. She wants to be friends with the popular girls. She has low self-esteem and low self-confidence. She's just starting to figure out her sexuality. She has an awkward relationship with her embarrassing dad. She has mood swings like most teenagers. In a few words, she is a real teenage girl and because of it, she is very sympathetic and likeable. 

Bo Burnham's writing though isn't the only aspect of Eighth Grade that deserves to be praised as Elsie Fisher's performance is nothing short of excellent. She gives such an authentic, genuine performance as the shy and lonely girl suffering from anxiety. She struggles a lot, mostly with herself, and because of Fisher, we feel her pain. And her hesitation makes the character very believable.

A24, Sony Pictures Releasing

As for the direction, I'm pleasantly surprised with the result, I must say. Since Bo Burnham is a comedian, I wasn't expecting such a serious and mature approach which he's great at. The camera work works well with the film's theme as it includes many awkward close-ups and confusing scenes. The music, on the other hand, is a bit too much. While at times it perfectly fits the scene —when the guy Kayla has a crush on appears at the pool party, there's an horror-like tune playing. If you consider the genre of the film, it feels completely out of place. If you consider how Kayla feels in that moment, it couldn't be more appropriate than that— overall, there are too many music-driven scenes and it often feels like a music video.

Ultimately, while it isn't the most engaging film other there, Eighth Grade is a very accurate portrayal of today's youth and for this reason, it can be hard to watch. It's Fisher's performance though that makes it worth watching.