Eighth Grade
Newcomer Elsie Fisher makes her way through the last week of a disastrous eighth grade year in comedian Bo Burnham's feature debut as director.
"Eighth-grader Kayla Day (Fisher) always has her phone in hand, hoping to find connections online that might make up for those she’s unable to forge in everyday life. She makes YouTube videos aimed at other adolescents dealing with similar issues—feelings of isolation, anxiety, and invisibility—but after so easily summoning this wisdom and confidence when addressing her (barely existent) audience, Kayla finds it paralysingly difficult to apply in real situations. In the final week of a thus-far-disastrous school year—and with high school looming on the horizon—Kayla struggles to bridge the gap between how she perceives herself and who she believes she should be." (Sundance Film Festival)
- Director:
- Bo Burnham (feature debut)
- Writer:
- Bo Burnham
- Cast:
- Elsie FisherJosh HamiltonEmily RobinsonMissy YagerGreg CroweDeborah UngerDaniel ZolghadriImani Lewis
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksA Coming-of-Age Landmark
As a Wellingtonian, making the two and half hour trip to Masterton to see Eighth Grade at the only theatre showing it this side of the country was more than worth it. Bo Burnham proves his chops as a writer more than a director, but the camerawork is interesting enough to stop a viewer getting visually exhausted. Elsie Fisher is leagues ahead of any of her...
Vulture
pressBurnham has tapped into a byproduct of social-media-saturated adolescence that's often overlooked in favour of parental panic and worst-case-scenario horror stories.
Variety
press"Eighth Grade" shines as, like, a totally spot-on, you know, portrait of Millennial angst and stuff.
Time Out
pressEighth Grade is lovely work, lifted up by a timeless piece of indie wisdom: Keep it real, as cringe-inducing as that can be.
Stuff
pressHeartwrenching, heartwarming and disquieting in equal measure, Eighth Grade is essential viewing for the parents of today's tweens.
Screen Daily
pressIt might be easy to laugh at Kayla, but Burnham and Fisher endow her with so much pathos that audiences are more likely to feel sympathy.
New Zealand Herald
pressFor all Burnham's skill in making the artfully-composed film, it's Fisher who really carries all the humour and heart, delivering a stunning performance that serves as a painfully relatable avatar for everybody watching.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe kind of comedy that hipper parents might just be able to watch with their own offspring and enjoy.
Collider
pressNevertheless, thanks to a wonderfully sensitive and bold performance from [Elise] Fisher and some standout work from Burnham behind the camera, Eighth Grade is ultimately an effective-if not exactly revelatory-watch.
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksVulture
pressBurnham has tapped into a byproduct of social-media-saturated adolescence that's often overlooked in favour of parental panic and worst-case-scenario horror stories.
Variety
press"Eighth Grade" shines as, like, a totally spot-on, you know, portrait of Millennial angst and stuff.
Time Out
pressEighth Grade is lovely work, lifted up by a timeless piece of indie wisdom: Keep it real, as cringe-inducing as that can be.
Stuff
pressHeartwrenching, heartwarming and disquieting in equal measure, Eighth Grade is essential viewing for the parents of today's tweens.
Screen Daily
pressIt might be easy to laugh at Kayla, but Burnham and Fisher endow her with so much pathos that audiences are more likely to feel sympathy.
New Zealand Herald
pressFor all Burnham's skill in making the artfully-composed film, it's Fisher who really carries all the humour and heart, delivering a stunning performance that serves as a painfully relatable avatar for everybody watching.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe kind of comedy that hipper parents might just be able to watch with their own offspring and enjoy.
Collider
pressNevertheless, thanks to a wonderfully sensitive and bold performance from [Elise] Fisher and some standout work from Burnham behind the camera, Eighth Grade is ultimately an effective-if not exactly revelatory-watch.
A Coming-of-Age Landmark
As a Wellingtonian, making the two and half hour trip to Masterton to see Eighth Grade at the only theatre showing it this side of the country was more than worth it. Bo Burnham proves his chops as a writer more than a director, but the camerawork is interesting enough to stop a viewer getting visually exhausted. Elsie Fisher is leagues ahead of any of...
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