Review: Eighth Grade (2018)

Directed by Bo Burnham

Starring: Elsie Fisher

The plot follows follows the life and struggles of an eighth-grader, during her last week of classes before graduating to high school.

Slowly finishing up my top 10 films of 2018 list, and next up was Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade. This is yet another interesting film produced by one of my favorite film studios, A24. As I expected, the film was pretty good.

The plot involves an eighth grader (Kayla) and her life before transitioning to high school. As someone currently about to graduate from university, I ultimately relate to that transition that brings you one step towards maturity and self-reliance. The film does really well to highlight the struggles that an eighth-grader might go through, such as depression, anxiety, as well as the impact of social media in teenager's lives. Elsie Fisher's performance was genuine and natural, allowing audiences to share that sense of empathy. The characters are written well and are genuine as well. I can't help but also admire the acting of the father. does incredibly well to portray Kayla's father, whose relationship with his daughter is breaking away, and his attempts to communicate with her fail, as she is too concentrated on her smart phone. There are a few cliches in the plot, but not too many to stop you from enjoying the film.

The cinematography was alright, but can be better. The music was effective and greatly done by Anna Meredith. The film has positive messages, and the characters in the film are relatable. The film explores themes such as anxiety, social media, love, sex, and the film's dialogue opens up with these subjects.

In conclusion, a great directorial debut for Bo Burnham, and a stand-out performance by Elsie Fisher. Pretty enjoyable, and definitely worth a watch. A really good film that does really well to highlight the themes of anxiety and social media, and it's impact on teenage lives.

My rating: 7.5/10

#FilmReview #2018