EIGHTH GRADE

Eighth-grader Kayla Day 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 paralyzingly 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.

Robert Pickering “Bo” Burnham (b. 1990) is an American comedian, singer-songwriter, poet, musician, rapper, actor and filmmaker. He attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

He has built his career on writing irreverent tracks that lampoon social issues such as race, religion and sexuality. His journey started on YouTube with a 2006 viral video, and Burnham exploded into stardom.

His first feature film as writer and director, Eighth Grade, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim and received numerous awards and nominations. It premiered as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. 

The directorial debut of comedian Bo Burnham is a wonderfully naturalistic tale of the end of middle school with a standout turn from Elsie Fisher.

Benjamin Lee, The Guardian