Eighth Grade (2018) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 2) 📚
(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)
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| Source: IMDB |
A unique celebration
of all the uncomfortable but exciting middle school moments. Eighth Grade is consistently poignant and
holds its subject matter with a warmth and respect that normalizes the human experience
of being a flawed and insecure teenager.
Much of the
film’s offbeat charms comes from the unique direction and script of YouTube comic
Bo Burnham. There are plenty of nuggets of wisdom and quotable takeaways that don’t
lose their meaning drowning in clique’s. The intelligent, exposing and
unabashedly compassionate account of middle school life is magnetic, and Anna
Meredith’s score of melancholy and millennial angst alongside beautiful notes
of light and individuality compliments Burnham’s tone beautifully. Mitchell
Travers’ costumes were spot-on for accuracy, chokers and all, and created a
genuine world unlike the glossy, airbrushed and fictionalized portrayal of
school life undercutting other YA coming of age films. The world is framed in such
a way that represents modern young people without judgement or censor. Sniffing
Sharpie’s, anime doodles, those stupid elastics on braces, awkward sex education
in health class, dabbing and ‘lit’ as a normal turn of phrase; there are millennial
references scattered everywhere. Some well-known tropes like the awkward boy
crush talk and writing motivational lists still made it in, but it is clear throughout
that Burnham definitely wasn’t trying to fit in. Selfie montages, a broken phone
screen and a school shooting drill – the subtext doesn’t hold back from illustrating
the day-to-day issues bombarding young people both on and offline.
Young people have
this offbeat, intense way of viewing the world that many older
generations are quick to dismiss as narcissism or naivety. Instead,
Burnham bypasses the bias and presents a cold hard truth of adolescent struggle through a singular perspective. He packs a lot of issues into a compact and compelling
plot, with each of them having their own moments to shine. Receiving the ‘Most
Quiet’ superlative disappoints Kayla (Elsie Fisher), and she feels like no-one understands who
she really is perpetuates this running thread of feeling misunderstood and anxious.
Growing up in the age of social media, making reckless and impulsive decisions,
the presence of ‘sheep culture’ where everyone is expected to act a certain way
and the pressure to be perfect all the time are just some of the ways the plot keeps audiences thinking and even reflecting on their own experiences in relation to Kayla's.
Burnham also pays close attention to family, and single father Mark Day (Josh Hamilton) is such a great emotional backbone for the reality of raising an adolescent. Hamilton’s strong performance pulls at the heart strings and provides some of the film's core emotional resonance. He is legitimately trying his best to be Kayla’s cheerleader, but there is a major disconnect between father and daughter for much of the film. It’s common for adolescents to feel disconnected from their parents; embodied by Kayla scrolling through Instagram at the dinner table with her headphones in, and Mark trying to spark up a conversation is getting in the way of the scrolling and the tunes. This fracture is eventually rectified with the backyard bonfire scene; the most beautiful and vulnerable sequence of the film. The intense lack of eye contact and revelations from Kayla about her anxiety make this scene a turning point, with dramatic and heartwarming moments in equal measure.
With Post-It notes around the bathroom mirror and praying to God for a ‘good day’, shy protagonist Kayla Day is the emotional heart and soul of the story. The opening scene is a close-up of Kayla’s face making one of her videos. It is not proper, and not perfect. Kayla’s stumbling over her words, and she’s clearly not wearing a full face of perfectly sculpted make-up. There’s something incredibly disarming about this that sets up this achingly real aesthetic and builds empathy for Kayla from the opening frame. The camera is always following Kayla, centering her perspective and how she reacts to things around her in the audience’s mind. Burnham successfully builds real growth into Kayla’s characterisation that’s still consistent with her character, but also cautiously optimistic in allowing herself to eventually take control and be herself. High school shadow Olivia (Emily Robinson) and fellow middle-schooler Gabe (Jake Ryan) help Kayla to be patient and look in the right places for her ‘people’. Elsie Fisher gives a phenomenal performance; a revelation for exciting young talent. She carries this film with vulnerability and a self-assured execution far beyond her years.
Eighth Grade is
heartachingly real. Every filmmaking choice is subtle yet so powerful in
creating a strong sense of normality and building empathy for what Kayla goes through in her tumultuous last week of middle school. A relatable love
letter to adolescence that everyone should definitely watch.
(9.5/10, 4.5 STARS)
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