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We're All Going to The World's Fair - An Exercise in Isolation in the Digital Age

Are you alone right now? How alone do you feel reading this post? Think about where you are and how isolated you may feel from the people around you. Are you at home? In the office? On a crowded bus or subway? Regardless, you are most likely alone. Most people are alone most of the time. This film is about isolation, the internet, and how far people will go to feel less alone.

While not outstandingly complex, Jane Schoenbrun's debut feature film offers an uncomfortable yet rewarding journey through the mind of Casey, a young teenage girl who joins an online horror role-playing community of people who have taken "The World's Fair Challenge". The role-playing game consists of completing a short ritual and then vlogging the events that follow. After completing the ritual, we see Casey's descent into madness as she documents her "changes". Casey is eventually contacted by a man named JLB, a "world's fair" veteran, who introduces her to the deeper lore behind the game and encourages her to keep making more of her videos.

Casey and JLB's relationship forms the emotional core of the film. Their roleplay is initially reminiscent of the typical "final girl" and "creepy mentor", a familiar trope from any number of horror flicks. At first, their interactions feel tense and uncomfortable. JLB feels almost predatory as he garners more of a liking towards Casey. But as the film continues, genuine warmth begins to emerge JLB shows how he genuinely cares for Casey. Casey's troubled nature is something that JLB recognizes and so he's reaching out in any way that he can. Whether Casey accepts that help and whether JLB can provide that help is something you can see for yourself.

Now, while I have been singing the praises of this film, it is not without its faults. The film is admittedly slow in certain scenes even with its relatively short length (1hr 26mins). Long scenes of nothing of note happen infrequently but enough to make you really feel the length. JLB's performance can come off as pathetic and creepy. Only until the very end will you ever feel any sort of sympathy or kinship to him at all. Certain lines of dialogue are difficult to understand without subtitles. This seems to be a trade-off for realism because of the handheld camera-work in some scenes.

Overall, "We're All Going to the World's Fair" is an excellent exercise in how to accurately portray the rampant isolation in online communities. While not exceptionally groundbreaking or especially interesting, if you're willing to engage the material it feels rewarding enough to be worth a watch.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair : ★★★½