Time: 86 Minutes
Age Rating:  
Cast:
Anna Cobb as Casey
Michael J. Rogers as JLB
Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Reality and fantasy begin to blur when an isolated teenager immerses herself in an online role-playing horror game.

I had been hearing about We’re All Going to the World’s Fair over the past year. It was an indie horror movie that had been gradually getting more attention ever since its premiere at the 2021 Sundance film festival. I had been meaning to see it for a while, but it finally got release wide enough that I got the chance to watch it. While there’s still some things I’m unsure about, I liked it overall.

The best way I can describe the plot of the movie is that it is about a teenager who becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game of sorts where she documents the changes that may or may not be happening to her. There are definitely some praiseworthy aspects. Compared to most modern day movies which portray the internet, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair actually grasps the concept of being online. It also does well at portraying terminally online people, empathising with them rather than just moralising, and does more than just the typical “internet is scary/bad” thing that you’d expect. It also captures the isolation, loneliness and despair that these people (especially the protagonist) are feeling, as well as the anxiety of growing up. I will say though that I’m not sure how well it would work for someone who isn’t on the internet as much. While its not overtly scary, the film does have a creepy and unsettling feeling and atmosphere to it. As for the plot, the concept certainly is interesting. However, I’m not sure it entirely worked for me, much of that has to do with me not exactly understanding the movie, particularly with the ending. For what its worth, it is definitely a movie where I look through at peoples interpretations afterwards, and I did like watching it. In terms of actual direct criticisms I can make with confidence, there are some scenes with another prominent character in the film separate from the lead character Casey. While I kind of get the purpose of why those scenes exist, it does break the atmosphere and undermines the narrative focus. If it focussed on Casey for the entirety of the film, I think it would’ve worked better. The movie is pretty short at less than 90 minutes in length, but I do think that it still dragged a little in parts.

There isn’t much of a cast, but the acting is great. Its really coming down to Anna Cobb (in her debut role) as Casey, she has to carry much of the movie, and she plays her role excellently.

This is Jane Schoebrun’s directorial debut, and it’s a strong and impressive first film. The visuals are at times mesmerising and hypnotic, its very well edited, and the use of sound is good. I wouldn’t say its very scary, it is more creepy and unnerving than anything. The score from Alex G is one of the highlights for me, sometimes tense but sometimes soothing and melancholic, and it fits the tone of the movie perfectly.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is an existential, atmospheric, melancholic and experimental horror drama. It’s very ambiguous and there’s a lot I’m uncertain about, but it is an intriguing, well acted and a solid directorial debut. If you like horror movies and this sounds appealing to you, I recommend checking it out. Though you’ll definitely need to manage expectations, because its definitely not for everyone.