Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham’s story of a 13-year-old girl stuck in that weird time in between childhood and adolescence is remarkably compassionate and clear-sighted. There are teen movies, and then there are movies about teens. That’s a distinction that I just made up. My idea is that teen movies are what film companies think will entertain the financially important teenage segment of the mass audience. And their profits demonstrate that they’re often right. A movie about teens, on the other hand, tries to accurately reflect the experiences of teenagers, and can appeal to adult audiences as well. These kinds of films are…