To give you a taste of my coverage here’s my review of Eighth Grade, the festival’s opening night film.
Eighth Grade; Bo Burnham; USA, 2018; 94 min
Eighth Grade—comedian Bo Burnham’s big screen directorial debut—isn’t the kind of first film one would expect from him. Instead of sticking to comedy, Burnham branches out with a coming-of-age drama that chronicles a shy teen’s final weeks of eighth grade. That doesn’t mean Burnham’s film is laugh free however; his picture is punctuated with comedic moments that are humorous for their awkwardness without turning mean-spirited.
Burnham authentically captures the experience of growing up in the Snapchat age by casting an actual eighth grader, Elsie Fisher, as his lead Kayla. Thanks to Fisher the film rings true, because the narrative never feels like an adult attempting to retrofit their sensibilities into a teenager. The authenticity of Burnham’s story isn’t just limited to present day though—his movie speaks to men and women of all ages, since he effectively recreates the highs and lows of middle school everyone goes through at that age, from self-doubt to clumsiness talking to crushes, to the desire to be seen and heard by one’s classmates.
Eighth Grade’s narrative excels by eschewing teen film clichés about bullying in favor of deeper moments that emphasize Kayla’s internal struggles. Burnham adeptly explores those conflicts through advice videos Kayla posts for her “followers” on YouTube that mirror her life. The proceedings are lent additional gravitas from the film’s pulsating electronic music, which strikes the balance between mood-setting and intrusive. Finally, the last keys to its success are its performances by Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton, who plays Kayla’s father. Fisher embodies Kayla’s shy, awkwardness with great ease, while Hamilton is touching as a dorky single dad trying his best not to be intrusive. Hamilton’s moving, confidence-boosting speech to Kayla in her time of need is one of the sweetest father-daughter interactions committed to film, a scene destined to open up the waterworks if they haven’t already been activated by the movie’s many affecting moments.