LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actual 8th graders will be able to see the R-rated coming-of-age movie “Eighth Grade” in select movie theaters across the nation Wednesday.
The film’s distributor A24 says Monday that it’s hosting a night of free screenings in every state on August 8 and waiving the R-rating to allow kids of all ages to experience the film. There is at least one participating theater in each state.
The film from director Bo Burnham follows a shy 13-year-old girl in her last week of middle school and has been widely praised for its authentic depiction of being a young teenager in the social media age.
Burham has advocated that middle-schoolers see the film with their parents, telling The Associated Press in an interview last month , “I hope it gives kids an insight on parents and parents an insight on kids.”
The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R-rating for some language and sexual material. The rating calls for viewers under the age of 17 have to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian, but theaters have discretion about whether they enforce the restriction.
The only remaining barrier to entry? Parents.
