By Robert Scucci
| Published
A common sentiment that’s been shared about the internet is that we’re simultaneously more connected and isolated than ever, and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, is a dead-on representation of this idea. Having grown up reading internet-generated urban myths and copypastas on forums like Something Awful, I was drawn to this Jane Schoenbrun film because it explores the damaging effect the internet could have on adolescents when they’re left unsupervised.
Back in the ‘90s and early aughts, my friends and I had access to shock websites like Rotten that traumatized us for life. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair carries that same kind of energy into Gen Z, but through the use of viral challenges that have their own unique set of consequences. Through the film’s exploration of our obsession with finding validation on the internet, an underlying sadness is found when those emotional connections turn out to be based on superficial interactions that simply cannot replace real-life relationships.
I Want To Go To The World’s Fair
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair centers on Casey (Anna Cobb), a live-streamer who decides that she wants to take the “World’s Fair Challenge.” While the rules of the game are mostly left to the viewer’s imagination, the basic premise is that if an online user states “I want to go to the World’s Fair” three times, pricks their finger, smears their blood on the screen, and watches a short video that’s never actually seen by the audience but involves lots of flashing colors, then they’re now playing an interactive game with a community of other players who document how the game changes both their mental and physical state.
Casey, who lives a solitary life in her attic bedroom, desperately wants to go through her own changes and find her audience through the World’s Fair Challenge. After watching a number of videos of other players demonstrating how they’ve changed since starting the challenge, Casey slips into a depression because her content isn’t generating views, and she’s not experiencing any real changes from outside forces herself. As she struggles with her lack of popularity online, a user known as JLB (Michael J. Rogers) contacts her via Skype and tells her that she’s in danger.
Focuses On Adolescent Isolation
Placing its primary focus on Casey’s isolated daily life, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair demonstrates just how damaging internet trends could be for lonely teenagers who are struggling to find their own identity. In Casey’s case, she becomes depressed over the low viewership of her videos. This low viewership directly correlates with her behavior as the game, and her conversations with JLB, either have a legitimate effect on her psychological state, or at the very least encourage her to put on increasingly unhinged performances as she tries to garner views.
Expressing suicidal and homicidal thoughts as she gets deeper into the World’s Fair Challenge, Casey’s videos trigger JLB – who may or may not be orchestrating the entire game – to reach out to her out of concern because he doesn’t want to see his online friend engage in any regrettable behavior. While it seems obvious that Casey is desperately trying to form a human connection through the viral trend, it’s not quite clear whether the game itself is actually the reason for her changes in behavior, or if she’s simply leaning into the premise so she doesn’t feel so alone.
A Slow-Burn, Coming-Of-Age Psychological Drama
Despite the heavy subject matter that We’re All Going to the World’s Fair covers, its estimated $15,000 budget forces the audience to read between the lines. With little to no special effects, tension manifests through Casey’s web cam’s point of view, and the discomfort you’ll feel while watching this film is coming from a place that’s not necessarily tangible. Knowing how little this film was produced for, I was thoroughly impressed by how so much suspense was made possible through the simple use of glowing computer monitors and blacklight paint in a dark room setting the tone and mood.
The best way I can describe the emotions that We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is trying to evoke is the kind of feeling you’d get as a kid when you were home alone, none of your friends were around, and you turned to the internet to feel anything other than loneliness or boredom.
Between sequences involving Casey’s livestreams, there are grainy shots of rainy suburbs during the winter months she’s documenting in We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, creating a scenic backdrop that evokes feelings of despair despite the fact that most of this imagery is quite innocuous in any other context.
Functioning as the first part of what’s now known as the Screen Trilogy, you can currently stream We’re All Going to the World’s Fair on Max, as well as its sequel, I Saw the TV Glow. As of this writing, details about the third installment aren’t yet known.