Describe We’re all going to the World’s Fair more like dark, depressing Eighth grade Jane Schoenbrun feels like a disservice to what she’s created with her feature debut: a film that explores the internet’s appeal to alienated teenagers and adults alike. However, comparisons are simplistic and words fail to encompass this atmospheric, experimental hidden gem.
Part coming-of-age story, part horror, We’re all going to the World’s Fair follows Casey (Anna Cobb), a chronic online teenager who immerses herself in an online role-playing horror game called World’s Fair to combat her loneliness. A newcomer to the internet craze, Casey noticed people undergoing transformations after playing the game – turning into plastic, sprouting wings, and more. – watches his videos and starts documenting the changes that happen to him.
The film opens with Casey sitting alone in his attic bedroom in front of his laptop screen. “Hey guys, this is Casey,” he tells the camera before trying again, “Hey guys, Casey here, I’m going to the World’s Fair today.” He moves to set the scene—making his bed and turning off the lights to reveal glow-in-the-dark star stickers—returning to his seat to repeat “I want to go to the World’s Fair” four times. and prick your finger with a pin. This action marks his entry into the game and the beginning of his downfall.
Soon, a montage gives the audience a glimpse of the town Casey lives in: an unremarkable town with closed shops and empty parking lots. People live here, but the audience does not see them. Even Casey’s father is only heard off-screen. With nothing to do and no one to see, Casey turns to her laptop, which gives her a much-needed escape.
He starts watching videos uploaded with the tag “World’s Fair” and if he’s horrified, he doesn’t show it, lying motionless on his bed as 2D people turn into plastic sharing their mental breakdowns. Casey starts to feel different too, so she says her camera is sitting on a tripod in the middle of the woods. “I know I’m supposed to be cold right now, but I don’t feel anything,” he says – snow visible in the background. With nothing out of the ordinary happening so far, it’s hard to say whether this is a symptom of the World’s Fair or a metaphor for its state of mind.
We’re all going to the World’s Fair Casey steps into terrifying territory when she receives a video message from World’s Fair veteran JLB (Michael Rogers), which shows a distorted version of his face with the words, “YOU’RE IN A FIRE” and “I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.” Casey communicates with JLB via Skype and how their relationship continues: JLB is interested in Casey and who he is.
Their relationship is uneven, not even problematic. JLB doesn’t have a relationship with Casey because he uses his camera on his calls and viewers know he’s already following her – JLB prefers to remain anonymous and uses a very creepy sketch as his profile picture. actual photo. There is also the risk that JLB is a predator because he is a middle-aged man talking to a teenage girl. But the film never confirms or denies this, leaving it up to the audience to interpret.
One thing’s for sure: JLB is just as lonely as Casey. He also spends most of his time alone in his dark, messy bedroom, watching other people’s videos. The difference is that he’s older than Casey and logically wiser and able to separate fiction from reality: something Casey increasingly struggles to achieve. As her mental health deteriorates and she begins to experience the full impact of the World’s Fair, their relationship becomes strained – and by the way, the most interesting thing about the film.
Most people have had an online connection at some point in their lives. Whether they are looked back on with fear or admiration (or a mixture of both), they served a purpose and probably left an impact. We’re all going to the World’s Fair explores ambiguous online relationships, commenting widely on the Internet.
Schoenbrun presents Casey and JLB’s relationship as both comforting and potentially dangerous, and describes the internet in the same way. As they say Diversity“It was important to me [the movie] Not just what’s scary or sad or dark on the Internet, but what can be charming and beautiful on the Internet felt right.” Schönbrun, who is non-binary, has conflicted views about the Internet themselves, explaining in the same interview that as a young queer kid, they saw the Internet as a lifeline. they used it and were attracted to the safety it offered: “the safety of anonymity and the safety of creating a self, or experimenting with different versions of the self detached from physical form and personality. They could not control.” Likewise, they acknowledge the dangers of the internet and even reveal their past (confusing) online relationship with an older man.
We’re all going to the World’s Fair It ends by reflecting on the horror of ending relationships and the unbearable uncertainty of knowing what happened to the other person involved. The bottom line is that the internet can only fill a void until a person takes action or goes crazy.