Bo Burnham foreshadows his emotional intimacy found in Inside through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl. Realistic and raw, there is an internal battle both on and off screen as teenage life is validated on a personal level that is hard to find elsewhere.

In his directorial debut, Bo Burnham captures lightning in a bottle (a feat he would accomplish again in his quarantine special Inside). Delving into the depths of teenage drama is neither a new concept nor a particularly thrilling one: when I think back on myself as a pubescent boy, I can’t help but think how annoying I must have been. As petty as my problems may seem in hindsight, the coming-of-age narrative and its various routes from innocence to adulthood are intrinsically human. There is an intimate relatability to Eighth Grade that may have been attempted elsewhere yet has never been so grounded.

Unwillingly shy, Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is in her final week of eighth grade (or year nine/form three). Fulfilling the stereotype of a quiet teen, Kayla has an immediate lack of friends, contradicting her viewless motivational vlogs where she speaks about the keys to confidence. At home, her relationship with her single father Mark (Josh Hamilton) is tenuous at best, the pair awkwardly eating dinner as he tries to speak to his daughter, her headphones blaring music and her thumb scrolling through Instagram.

Most films within the genre focus on the emotional growth of the various characters along their journey, yet they generally seem to flirt with a plot: Seth and Evan trying to be ‘cool’ in Superbad or Charlie trying to make friends in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s films such as Lady Bird that always seem to stand out amongst the rest as they create a profile of a person; filled with flaws and victories yet always framed internally rather than following the plot of external events. Eighth Grade is of the latter, which begs the question; how can a social media-driven generation ever be interesting?

That is where Burnham’s insight comes in. Kayla struggles to make friends (a common trait), but it is her self-awareness of her own anxieties that make her interesting. As she is forced to attend the popular girl’s pool party, she tells herself that the secret to confidence lies within ‘faking it till you make it’. Once there, she sits in the corner of the pool, uneasily mute.

Later in the film, Kayla attends a high school shadow program. Terrified of the experience, she is assigned to senior Olivia (Emily Robinson) who instantly radicalises any of Kayla’s assumptions; high schoolers can also be nice. Olivia is not only kind but enthusiastically fills Kayla with hope, constantly reminding her new protégé of how cool she unknowingly is.

The confidence of zero views… Elsie Fisher. Photo: A24The confidence of zero views… Elsie Fisher. Photo: A24

Both role models, Olivia and Mark offer fresh perspectives in a world of foretold loneliness. Kayla’s subjectivity on her own outlook is never absent but there is also a form of objectivity present. Kayla knows her own abilities and is constantly coming up against herself which, in all honesty, is heart-breaking. No explanation is offered as to why Kayla never follows the advice of others and her Youtube self, and it isn’t needed. Across the many quiet and intimate moments as she sits in her bedroom, illuminated only by her laptop screen, there is an unspoken battle that rages outwards through the simple and effective shots.

And there I was, watching her intelligently have all the right answers but emotionally ignoring them. When I look at Kayla, I see myself reflected in her strong and scared eyes. I don’t share the same story, but I can feel her present pain and my past memories merging together. Burnham doesn’t tell the story of a single teen but shares an intimate experience with a modern background, ready to relate to everyone. Just like other recent teenage tales (such as Sally Rooney’s Normal People), Eighth Grade doesn’t have a big narrative tie-up at the end but offers the loose closing of a chapter; continuing past the credits as Kayla takes the next steps on the old, familiar, and ever-evolving path of individuality.

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