Eighth Grade
Movie, 2018, The 2010s, Set in The last week of middle school
Eighth Grade is #15 of 37 in release order and #15 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school.
Eighth Grade recap
Eighth Grade (2018) follows Kayla Day, an anxious 13-year-old who posts advice videos to YouTube that nobody watches, through her last week of middle school. Bo Burnham writes and directs his first feature. Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is voted Most Quiet by her class and spends most evenings on her phone while her single father Mark (Josh Hamilton) tries awkwardly to talk to her. Invited to a pool party only because popular Kennedy's mother insists, she has a panic attack in the bathroom, then meets Kennedy's cousin Gabe (Jake Ryan), a kind oddball, and sings karaoke. She tries to impress her crush Aiden (Luke Prael) by pretending to have nude photos. A high school shadow day pairs her with Olivia (Emily Robinson), a friendly senior, who takes her to the mall with her friends, and a car ride home with Olivia's friend Riley turns into a frightening game of truth or dare. The film stands alone.
Eighth Grade ending explained
Eighth Grade ends with Kayla trying again. After the night with Riley she breaks down and her father comforts her; she records a video saying she will stop posting because she is not the confident person she pretends to be. She opens the time capsule she made in sixth grade, burns it with Mark, and asks if she makes him sad; he says she makes him proud. On the last days of school she tells Kennedy off, has a sweet, awkward dinner with Gabe, and buries a new time capsule with a video for her future self, wishing her well in high school.
Post-credits scenes
No. Eighth Grade has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Eighth Grade
Eighth Grade is streaming on Netflix and YouTube (free) in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 99%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Hereditary, before Mid90s.
- Chronological order: after Hereditary, before Mid90s.
Cast
- Elsie Fisher as Kayla Day
- Josh Hamilton as Mark Day
- Emily Robinson as Olivia
- Jake Ryan as Gabe
- Daniel Zolghadri as Riley
- Fred Hechinger as Trevor
- Imani Lewis as Aniyah
- Luke Prael as Aiden
- Catherine Oliviere as Kennedy
- Nora Mullins as Steph
- Gerald Jones as Tyler
- Missy Yager as Mrs. Graves
Directed by Bo Burnham.