Review of Eight Grade by Kathia Woods

Middle School is a unique time in one’s life where you realize things such as cliques begin to matter. Choosing your friends says a lot about you and your standing. Social media adds on that anxiety. Eight Grade is about Kayla an introverted eight grader who uses YouTube to work on her self-confidence brilliantly portrayed by Elsie Fisher. You feel for Kayla who suffers from social anxiety every step of the way. You want her to transfer the confidence she fakes on her YouTube channel, to translate into real life.

There is a moment in the movie where the mother of a popular classmate invites her to a birthday party. She’s caught off guard by the invite knowing that Kennedy aka the mean girl doesn’t want her at the party. The movie takes an upswing when Kayla befriends her Senior Buddy Olivia played by Emily Robinson. She gets invited out to a mall hangout where she meets Olivia's other friends. Everything is going chill until her father decides to spy on them followed by an awkward ride home. Olivia classmate Riley offers to take Kayla home after the hangout, and in that short time, he seeks to take advantage of her insecurities.
It’s every parent’s nightmare to have one’s daughter naivety taken advantage off. Every part of you tenses up. Kayla is confronted with an unwanted advance. Do you go along, or do you listen to your instincts and say no? It’s a critical turning point in Kayla’s growth.

Luckily there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and she gets a DM from Kennedy's cousin equally socially awkward but charming Gabe. In him, she finds a Kindred spirit.

Elise Fisher is brilliant as Kayla. She carries most of the movie. Kayla reminds us of what life can be like if you aren’t a jock, creative or just good looking.

She shows us how social media often can be a cover to hide your fears. If you’re not popular in real life don’t worry you can be popular online. If you don’t have friends, you can make up the gap with followers.
Bo Burnham did a fantastic job of shooting this movie in a way that makes you feel like you’re going on this journey with Kayla. Most importantly he gave us a reminder to teach our children to be kind, to encourage them to find their tribe and that middle school does not define you.

Diversity- We give this movie an 8 for having a female lead. It lacked diversity regarding other races which are unacceptable even for a middle school suburban environment.
On a scale of one to 10, it gets a 9. Don’t be surprised if Elise Fisher is in the mix when award season comes around.