In his debut "Eighth Grade" (Lions Gate DVD), filmmaker Bo Burnham shows how early teens must cope with body changes, acne, awakening sexuality and social awkwardness, yet also reveals their personalities in embryonic form. Burnham mines this awkward transition for laughs, but also presents insights into how a new generation is handling this challenging life transition using social media.
Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) is an eighth grader finishing her final week of school. The film opens with one of the motivational videos she posts on YouTube, with topics "Being Yourself" or "Putting Yourself Out There," despite having an audience of maybe two people. The reality is that she is painfully shy, exhibits no self-confidence, has no friends, and is voted "Most Silent" in the yearbook. She is being raised by her devoted, hovering single dad Mark (Josh Hamilton), who tries to initiate conversations with her while she remains glued to her phone. The most popular girl in school, Kennedy (Catherine Oliviere), is guilted by her mother into inviting Kayla to her birthday pool party. Kayla is urged by her father to attend, but only after undergoing a panic attack in the bathroom before going outside in her hideous lime-green bathing suit.
Kayla has a crush on Aiden, who asks her at the party if she has any nude photos or engages in oral sex, which she researches online afterwards to her dismay. Meanwhile, for one day she gets to shadow high school student Olivia (Emily Robinson), who is kind to her and helps open her up, introducing Kayla to her friends. One of them, Riley, drives her home, but initiates a "Truth or Dare" scenario, trying to intimidate Kayla into taking off her shirt. She declines, and runs home to her father. She stops making videos since she can't follow her own advice. Graduation is imminent. Will the shaky Kayla make a good transition to high school?
What makes "Eighth Grade" so poignant, funny, yet uncompromising is that it observes the image-obsessed Generation Z world. It's not patronizing. Burnham, best-known for his comedy YouTube videos that made him an Internet star at 16, accepts social media as a given, showing both its shadow side (merciless criticism) and benefits in connecting people. Teenagers today are bent on presenting their perfect self, insisting everything is fabulous even when it isn't. The biggest danger is being ignored, and popularity is marked by how many followers you have on Instagram or Snapchat.
Although there is no LGBTQ material here, queer folk will identify with the film's themes of being the social misfit, the inability to reveal one's true self. Kayla challenges herself to be the best person she can be, who must first discover who she is. Audiences will be rooting for her.
"Eighth Grade" has two miracles in it. First is the naturalistic, honest performance of Fisher (14 during filming). Second, details seem true to life, especially about how middle schoolers speak. Burnham deserves credit for hiring middle-school-age actors instead of the usual 20somethings playing teens, giving the film authenticity.