“Eighth Grade” The Movie

If you haven’t already, please watch this movie. If not for nostalgic reasons, then for the funny, but realistic moments that this movie portrays of being an awkward middle school kid trying to figure out life.

This movie touches on a variety of topics i.e. first crushes, fitting in, parent and child relationships.

What’s the movie about?

A thirteen-year-old girl named Kayla is trying to navigate through the last week of eighth grade as a quiet and awkward teenager. During the movie, you see the constant battle she has with wanting to be more social, but being held back by her awkwardness. While this movie does touch on how social media has affected this next generation, it also shows the cringe-y and humorous stuff that a lot of us kids went through.

You see how hard she tries to fit in with the cool crowd, including her crush. She wants, so badly, to be accepted, but seems to fall short every time. To top it all off, she has a father who deeply cares for her, but doesn’t understand half the things she is going through as a young girl. Throughout this movie, this tends to put a stint in their relationship. This is an example of why young girls need their mothers or strong examples of women in their lives who can help them navigate through such a time.

My thoughts?

I loved the rawness of the film. This was eighth grade for a lot of us and I am so happy that we have a movie that depicts that. I go on Instagram today and see a lot of kids who look so grown, airbrushed, and filtered. Half of these girls don’t even look their age. They could seriously pass for 18. They are trying so hard to be grown and are totally skipping the awkward, yet fun, stage of being a kid. I loved that she had zits, a crooked smile, and a slouched posture. I liked the play on social media and how her safe zone seemed to be in her room, headphones on, and phone in hand scrolling through social media.

This is a beautiful stage of life when your are beginning your journey of self-discovery. In many ways it is a crucial part of growing up. When you’re a kid, you feel like it’s the end of the world. You feel like you’ll never be cool, you’ll never be attractive, and that no one wants you. You feel like an outcast. Sometimes you feel ugly and awkward. You get teased, or in some instances, you are the bully. I mean the list goes on. I love this movie because it dives into the being of an awkward person. Specifically how they think and how certain situations really traumatize them.

The best part is when you get older, you look back at those moments and laugh because boy are kids dramatic. Lol! You grow up and realize everything was okay and that you actually had it pretty good, for the most part.