Movie Review

Teen star gives first-class performance in coming-of-age film Eighth Grade

For many people, the middle-school years are among the most awkward ones of growing up. The hormones, the changing bodies, the ever-moving social politics — they all combine to make that time one of emotional survival, even for those who appear to have all the confidence in the world.

As such, writer/director Bo Burnham couldn’t have picked a better subject for his debut film, Eighth Grade. It centers on Kayla (Elsie Fisher), who’s heading into the last week of 8th grade. Shy on the outside, Kayla is trying her best to be more outgoing, a side that comes out in a series of YouTube advice videos she records.

At school, though, she can barely summon the courage to look others in the face, much less speak to them. She must deal with ultra-popular girls who won’t give her the time of day, an unrequited crush on a boy, her dad being embarrassing, and the soul-crushing “honor” of being named the “Most Quiet” in her grade.

Burnham’s film not only gets right to the universal truths of what it’s like to be that age, but also feels so of-the-moment that you’ll be cringing in your seat at what kids are experiencing these days. Modern elements like ever-present cell phones, social media like Snapchat, and the numbing reality of school shooter drills are all a part of the film, adding layers of depth that didn’t exist even 10 years ago.

For many, especially parents, watching the film will be like watching a slow-motion car crash. You can’t bear to look, but you also can’t look away. That goes double when the film broaches sexuality on several occasions. Seeing how Elsie and others navigate waters that they shouldn’t even attempt to wade into until years later is excruciating, but also illuminating.

Fisher is no showbiz newbie — she was the voice of Agnes in the first two Despicable Me films and was Kevin Costner’s daughter in McFarland, USA — but this will likely be a breakout role for her. She makes you feel every inch of her emotional discomfort, leaving you aching to protect her. She may be playing someone her own age, but it’s a fully realized performance that ranks among the best of the year.

You can go ahead and put Eighth Grade into the pantheon of coming-of-age movies. Its unique focus, clear and heartfelt emotions, and near-perfect lead character make it required viewing for anyone who claims to love movies.

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade.

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade

Photo by Linda Kallerus, courtesy of A24

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade.

Movie Review

Faces of Death returns with modern twist on cult horror film

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death

Photo courtesy of of IFC Films

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death.

True horror fans will likely be familiar with the 1978 cult film Faces of Death, which purported to be a documentary showing real-life killings in gory detail. It didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop rumors from continuing to spread for decades. Now, almost 50 years and multiple sequels later, comes a new version of Faces of Death, an actual movie that pays homage to the original in interesting ways.

Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a YouTube-like company called Kino as a content moderator, flagging videos that violate the company’s policies. This means her job often involves seeing some truly despicable things from all manner of depraved people. One day, though, she comes across a video that seems a little too real, and after seeing more similar videos, she starts to believe they’re genuine murders.

Going against her company NDA, she starts to investigate the videos on her own, which puts her on the radar of Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), who is actually kidnapping people and killing them on camera through methods seen in the original Faces of Death film. It’s not long before Arthur tracks her down, with a plan to make her one of his next victims.

Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and co-written by Isa Mazzei, the film is not so much scary as it is creepy, with the occasional gross-out sequence. The idea of having someone emulate the killings in the cult film is a good idea, and pairing it with the modern-day attention economy - in which content creators go to increasing lengths for clicks - is a clever twist on a concept that other films have done.

The film as a whole is a commentary on how social media and video sharing sites have often decided to prioritize profits over the well-being of their users. Margot is shown allowing videos involving violence and sexual assault to stay on the site while nixing ones depicting how to use Narcan or demonstrating putting on a condom on a banana. Josh (Jermaine Fowler), Margot’s boss, is even explicit in the company mandate that outrageous videos drive views.

While Arthur has the makings of a good villain, there are few attempts to make him seem truly diabolical. His kidnappings often seem more spur-of-the-moment than calculated, and even though he has a well thought-out dungeon at home, the house’s location in the suburbs seems to make him vulnerable to easy discovery. Goldhaber and Mazzei leave more than a few unanswered questions along the way that take away from the intensity of the story.

Ferreira is yet another actor from Euphoria who’s capitalizing on her exposure from that show. She plays Margot’s increasing anxiety well, and when the action ratchets up in the final act, she meets the moment in a satisfying way. Montgomery returns to the vibe he had while playing the evil Billy on Stranger Things, and even though his character doesn’t fully live up to his potential, Montgomery sells his evil for all it’s worth.

The new Faces of Death may not be what some are expecting given the reputation of the previous films, but it’s a solid horror/thriller that uses the brand as a launching pad into something different. It doesn’t make much of a dent in the scare department, but it does give its violence and gore a degree of relevance in today’s often desensitized world.

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Faces of Death is now playing in theaters.

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