Bo Burnham's writing and directorial debut could not have been better with this film. I was given the opportunity to go to an early screening of Eighth Grade and a Q&A with Bo himself and it was definitely one of the most surreal experiences of my life. He has been one of my favorite stand-up comedians for years and seeing his witty and artistic brand change for this film was incredible. The acting and direction in this movie is amazing, along with a painfully relatable story that tackled many controversial topics in great ways.
The greatest aspect of this film was definitely the writing and direction which made the story so engaging. This propelled the film into such great quality, thanks to Burnham. This was his first feature film and he built a world around the main character Kayla (played by Elsie Fisher) very well. The elements of the setting were actually relevant to today's society and it was so close to how teenagers actually interact with each other. Unlike many of the larger budget teenage-oriented films, this movie was focused on real, modern details of childhood. The smallest details like the inclusion of social media and the awkward experiences that every child goes through were critical in building this painfully realistic world. As for the direction, Burnham absolutely nails every scene throughout this film. The pacing was handled very well, even though the entire film took place over the course of only a few days. This was also one of the smartest choices because it built Kayla's life and introduced the audience to her without much unnecessary background. Much of the controversial topics that were touched upon included rape, depression, and discovering self-identity. While these topics can often be very touchy, they were handled very elegantly by Burnham, as he brought them into light through the lens of a developing young girl who was still innocent in many aspects. While he did not turn the topics into any sort of joke, they were still written lightly without negating their importance. I am very glad that Burnham was able to meet with and learn from so many young girls because if he hadn't, then this film would have had a very limited perspective. This was one of the biggest questions the audience had at the screening that I attended, and it makes me happy knowing that there are new filmmakers like Bo out there who know their place and respect the stories of others.
Technical aspects that I loved about this film were the performances from the two leads and the soundtrack. Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton, who played Kayla and her father Mark, respectively, were absolutely incredible in their roles. Their relationship through the movie was developed excellently and provided for a lot of memorable (and relatable) scenes. The best scene between the two, and possibly the whole movie, was the campfire they had when Kayla was burning her "hopes and dreams." Bringing Kayla out of her shell to her dad was sweet to see, and made for an awesome monologue from Hamilton. It seems that whenever movies have a deep conversation between a character and their dad, it always brings out the most emotion. Especially since dads are usually portrayed as ignorant or narrow-minded (or absent). It was an interesting plot device to have the house be only occupied by Kayla and her father and not reveal until the campfire scene any information about the mother. This aspect helped shape Kayla as not just an independent girl but also to form a stronger bond with her lonely father. The final part of this film that I adore is its soundtrack. Anna Meredith, who is a close friend of Burnham's, composed the soundtrack for this film and it fit the tone brilliantly. While all of it was electronic music and that genre is usually upbeat, she was able to manipulate it so well that it fit even the more serious and sad moments of the movie, solidifying the film's tone.
A24 teaming up with Bo Burnham was the best decision that ever could have been made. Burnham's clever writing style and amazing performances make Eighth Grade the adolescence treasure that it is. I would strongly recommend this film, as it delivers a fantastic human story that is both excruciatingly real and entertaining at the same time.
My Rating: ★★★★
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