Eighth Grade is an excellent coming-of-age dramedy by first-time director Bo Burnham, best known for stand-up comedy. Burnham's astute and sensitive take on modern adolescence is refreshing and dare-I-say spot on. Elsie Fisher, just fifteen years old, brilliantly plays Kayla. The cadence of her speech, simultaneously unsure and forcibly confident, full of 'likes' and 'ums', is so realistic. She sounds so natural. The audience gets to see both sides of Kayla. We see her private persona, introspective, incisive, thoughtful and confident. We see her try to better herself in public, forcing herself to emerge from her shell. We see her nerves and excitement. It's a must-see, especially for high schoolers not-far-removed from their own eighth grade experiences. I was also very impressed by the use of music, with accented beats pushing the movie forward. Enya's Orinoco Flow is used to great effect, an unusual choice that pleasantly surprises.
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