‘Eighth Grade’ is the Coming-of-Age Movie We Needed
Eighth Grade is a cringe-worthy coming-of-age story that perfectly sums of what it is like growing up in today’s world.
The movie shows the struggles of eighth grade in the digital age through the eyes of 13-year-old Kayla Day (played by Elsie Fisher). Kayla is awkward and full of anxiety, trying to navigate her way through the maze that is social media. On top of all of that, Kayla doesn’t really have any friends and lives with her single dad. She is totally engrossed in sites like Twitter and YouTube, endlessly scrolling through selfies, celebrities, tutorials, and basically everything else.
While it seems like Kayla lives under an invisible cloak at school, she makes affirmational YouTube videos with encouraging people to be themselves. It seems contradictory as she is anxious about stepping into the light. Some things are easier said than done, a feeling we can all relate to whether it is in eighth grade, high school, or older.
The movie is brutally transparent but totally funny, and that might be because of the man behind the camera (and the script), Bo Burnham. The comedian, and now director, is no stranger to anxiety and flipping it into laughter.
Eighth Grade debuted in select cities on July 13 but will hit theaters nationwide on August 3.
