"People suck and evil people exist but you just gotta ignore them and.......like...... not care what they are saying." Wise words. It's just the pity the person saying them doesn't believe it.
Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) is just about to finish junior high. She can't wait to leave but at the same time fears high school will just be more of same. She has no friends and suffers through school in silence. Her only outlet is her youtube channel which no one watches and she's at the stage in her life where she'd rather die than open up to her well meaning but clumsy father (Josh Hamilton) about her problems. She has to do something about her future. It's now or never.
This was excellent. A portrait of a young teenager growing up in a digital age that's as nerve wracking and scary as any horror film. The terror of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. The fear of making a fool of yourself. The shame that comes with being the centre of attention. Stuff that's hard enough to deal with as an adult but that's amplified massively when you're a teenager, tentatively feeling your way through life with your hormones going 90. There's moments in this where you'll want to roll up into a ball and die alongside Kayla when memories you've long since buried come rushing back to the surface having been dredged up by what you're watching. Moments of horrible realism and mortification. But thankly there's also a sprinkling of sheer joy and elation and discovery that will remind you of the good things about being that age too.
Elsie Fisher as Kayla is fantastic. Droll, high strung, terrified, awkward, introverted, hypocritical. All the things that make a good teenager. At first you think she's this confident go getter that's wise beyond her years but it takes mere minutes before you realise she definitely isn't practicing what she's preaching online. With every new post you're heart will break a little bit more for her. Refreshingly the film doesn't demonise her best friend, the internet. For teens it's a religion. A way of life. Scrolling is second nature, as natural as breathing. She might be addicted to it but for a shy girl like her it's her lifeline to the world and by using it she's able to build her confidence until one day she.....
Director Bo Burnham paints the world of American teenagers as a frightening place. A pool party with turned inside out eyelids and crabwalking girls soundtracked by the sound of a panic attack. Predatory older boys who claim they are only doing what's right. A first traumatic delve into sex education via youtube tutorials and fruit. The manner of fact way school drills are practiced in case of shootings. The last example is really only a problem in the States but everything else feels universal. It's a movie everyone can relate to no matter what your gender is. The emotions touched on here are universal. Annoyingly because the film has been classified with an R rating in the States and a 15A here the 13 year old teens portrayed won't be allowed to watch it without a parent beside them. It's a film they should be allowed to see without being made self conscious. It might help them realise that they aren't the only ones going through a tumultuous time and that it's a normal thing that will pass.
If you are sick to the teeth of cartoons and CGI infused blockbusters then this is the film for you. An affecting storyline is carried along gracefully by a superb performance from Elsie Fisher and all in just over 90 minutes. Eighth Grade is a perfect little movie. Go see it quick, it won't be around long.
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