SXSW Film Review: Eighth Grade

In Eighth Grade (the feature directorial debut of comedian and YouTube star Bo Burnham) Instagram is a character. Kayla obsessively flips through her phone while lying in her pitch-black room, voyeuristically watching other kids her age confidently display all the fun they’re having – it’s enough to give anyone some serious FOMO.

On the cusp of graduating from the eighth grade, Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is looking back on her preteen years, trying to see if she can find a place for herself among her classmates before moving on to high school. She has all the normal frustrations middle school girls are forced to deal with – fluctuating acne problems, a pesky parent, and gaining weight faster than your body can grow – but with one additional force to be reckoned with: social media.

The placement of social media in Eighth Grade feels natural, but also is undeniably haunting. Burnham films sometimes like this is a horror movie: opening with a creeping zoom out of Kayla creating a YouTube video, and later in the film there’s a claustrophobic scene that takes place in a car. It’s chilling, but pairs perfectly with the film’s neutral gaze of Kayla, who is undeniably a comedic gem.

Kayla’s lack of confidence is cringe-inducing, and although uncomfortable there’s a humbling familiarity to her strife, like when she shows up to a pool party where every girl but her is wearing a bikini. Burnham doesn’t attempt to humiliate his lead character, but rather morph her into somebody we feel like we used to know, whether it be a past version of yourself or that girl who sat alone at lunch who always seemed nice, but you never took the time to talk to.

This tender approach to Kayla is what makes Eighth Grade a complete delight, and while it’s hard to imagine living the worst years of your life under the shadow of Snapchat, Burnham manages to make his film heartwarmingly relatable. Eighth Grade is a brilliantly raw, honest portrayal about the middle school experience.

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Eighth Grade

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