Eighth Grade trailer reveal: The woes of grade school

Having made a name for himself as one of comedy’s most unique stars, Bo Burnham continues to display his talents as a behind-the-camera talent with his debut feature film, the coming-of-age comedy drama film, Eighth Grade.

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Bo Burnham’s work in the comedy and entertainment industry has set him apart from many of his colleagues, thanks to his quirky brand of comedy. His stand-up specials on platforms like Netflix have garnered him commercial and critical acclaim and now, he will transfer his talents from the stage to the director’s chair. In his first feature film, of which he both wrote and directed, Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade is hyping up as a both a touching walk down memory lane for anybody who has experienced the horrors of eighth grade and possibly one of the best films of 2018.

An indie-feeling film just from the plot summary, Eighth Grade displays a small-scale charm just from the trailer alone. It’s no surprise that a film as proudly “indie” as this one managed to set itself up as one of the standout showings from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It stood out so strongly that A24, the top film distribution company for independent films, as well as the distribution company behind 2016 Best Picture Oscar winner, Moonlight, have picked up the film for distribution. With these factors, Eighth Grade has established a quiet, but consistent hype train since its announcement and now we have an official trailer to show for it.

Final week of middle school

In the trailer for Eighth Grade, we are introduced to Kayla (Elsie Fisher, A.K.A. Agnes from the first two Despicable Me films), an eighth grader preparing to finish her last week of middle school before beginning high school in the fall. Kayla appears to be an everyday normal girl in the year of 2018: trying to look cool in school, nervously contemplating jumping in a crowded pool and practically living on the internet. She even has her own YouTube channel, seemingly focused on positive and motivational videos for all to see.

Bo Burnham seems to be going for a character driven drama comedy with Eighth Grade, as the film chronicles her final week of eighth grade, with all sorts of hijinks and drama surely to follow. Kayla’s character personality is so common among the slew of eighth graders going through similar woes, yet the film looks to delve into this particular one, providing a refreshing sense of humanity and relatability in a young character like her. Middle and high school kids often get the caricature treatment in other films, being refused to play their characters as anything more than simple stereotypes. While stereotypes may also be present in Eighth Grade, judging from the slew of phone-addicted preteens in the trailer, Burnham’s film looks to dig deeper into that stereotype we know so well.

Middle school woes

Eighth Grade showcased its pleasant and heartfelt nature from its trailer and hopefully this spells true for the rest of the film, which is set to release this summer. Bo Burnham has shown loads of talent before in the directing field, thanks to the intricate nature of his stand-up specials and comedy, but now he will get a chance to show off in a full feature film. He has the potential and if the trailer is any indication, Burnham will continue to shine in the director’s chair for his future projects, whatever they might be.

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Eighth Grade’s journey from small independent film to A24-backed film is quite admirable, further showing how there is a film company out there for every kind of film. The film had a strong showing at Sundance and its critical reception has so far been almost universally positive. Between now and the four months leading up to its summer release, a lot can happen, but if we’re judging strictly from the trailer, Eighth Grade may be the star vehicle needed for both Bo Burnham and Elsie Fisher and it may be one of the most memorable and heartwarming films of 2018.

Eighth Grade will be released by A24 on July 13.