Eighth Grade
Eighth Grade was the first movie shown this year in the Humanities House. This semester we are focusing on movies that discuss a transitional period in life.
Eighth Grade was written and directed by Bo Burnham and it stars a then 14-year-old Elsie Fisher in her acting debut. Most people know Bo from his standups or his vines, so it would make sense to assume that Eighth Grade is a comedy. While there are several funny bits to this movie the word I would choose to describe it is a cringefest. Now, obviously, that sounds like a negative thing but I promise it’s not. The movie perfectly captures exactly what an awkward puberty looks like in the 21st century. It explores new phenomena like how it feels when you see snapchats from a party you weren’t invited to and relying on Youtube videos for sex ed. Rarely are girls bullied today in the outright way we see in 80’s classics like Heathers or Carrie. People don’t physically attack our protagonist, Kayla, they don’t even chant unoriginal nicknames at her either. She’s not an outcast, she’s simply forgotten. The movie focuses on her final days of eighth grade, vowing to achieve some sort of higher status before high school starts up. On paper, it is the perfect formulaic coming of age story.
To kind of spoil the movie, there isn’t a giant plot arc or a conflict that is wonderfully resolved by the end. It’s more of a slice of life film likened to other indies like Boyhood and Lady Bird. You may be wondering why I’ve described it as a cringefest if I just said it isn’t packed full of awkward montages of her getting her period in gym class and trying on her first bra. Well firstly, I made the mistake of seeing it with my oldest friend who was kind enough to elbow me during the movie and say stuff like “remember when you did that”. But, that was my mistake. I call it a cringefest because it depicts the awkwardness, loneliness, and desperation that comes with puberty and never really goes away. Throughout the movie we watch as Kayla makes painfully earnest Youtube videos giving out advice on how to be yourself. Of course, these videos are practically viewerless. It’s not that she doesn’t take her own advice, she makes several attempts. The movie points out that there is a huge disconnect to who we are in real life and who we are online. And we’re not always who we want to be, especially when we’re younger.
While I was writing this I wanted to say that Kayla is an unlikely protagonist. Not many films single in on an 8th-grade girl that aren’t also produced by Disney. Additionally, Elsie Fisher who plays Kayla actually graduated from 8th grade a week before filming started. She isn’t a size zero and she has the acne of a 14-year-old girl, something that the 25-year-olds playing teens on TV tend not to have. At the same time, however, she’s not unusual. I knew many “Kaylas” growing up and I’m certain we have all felt like a Kayla before. This is why I think that this movie is worth studying in the context of a Humanities class. The loneliness and desperation Kayla feels transcend her gender, race, economic status, and sexuality.
The last time I gave one of these introductions I asked you all to pay attention to certain details of the movie such as relationships and characterization. This time I would like to ask you all to put yourself in the movie as much as you can. I think this film can cause visceral reactions and stir up emotions we tend to push down. One thing to consider though is if we ever truly leave the transitional state Kayla is in.
