We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

2021 Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

Halloween Marathon 2024 Day 30 Film 60

We're All Going to the World's Fair

We're All Going to the World's Fai

We're All Going to the World's F

We're All going to teh world

We're All GoiNG to The Wo

We're ALl Going

WE're All

We're

We'

W

Discomforting stories are part of internet culture. It's treated as a game- as a whimsical approach to anonymous storytelling that adds layers through everyone collaborating on the mythos. Sometimes that goes too far however- In 2014 a very real case happened with the “creepypasta” character of Slenderman.

This film hits on the virtual malaise of feeling like a Midwestern teen. Layers of snow isolate a teenage girl, Casey. She finds herself in a sterile consumerist desert. To combat this boredom the internet provides the sense of community and place- and she watches a video to trigger "The World's Fair Challenge.” Creepy videos of other teens buzz around this challenge- detailing their descent into psychosis and eventual need to break free from the unreal reality that they're trapped in (which has a thematic tie to Schoenbrun's I saw the TV glow).

It's a film of quiet ASMR- a break from the riotous filmmaking of 964 Pinocchio that I watched before this...There's a scene where Casey gazes hypnotically at a screen- the sweet talk and visual caress of perfect nails on an ASMR channel that could be seen as both comforting but showing Casey's break from facing her day to day reality. That also highlighted how this film creates the ambient lo-fi of scrolling for hours on Internet pages just so you can connect to other people.

Other people are like you-- and not. They can roleplay within this augmented reality horror game or be the spectators. The film plays with mythos and perception. Cassie creates videos that hint at violent dark thoughts.. but keeps the viewer guessing at to her true intentions. It's first person horror and the audience has now become part of the augmented reality game- having some of the atmosphere of Donnie Darko. One of the watchers finds himself wanting to be protective of Casey.

Perhaps as the film's watcher too you even sympathize- you've seen too many real world stories and have awareness of atrocity. I like how this plays with our narrative assumptions- how whenever games are played like this there needs to be a way to speak out of character. From a gaming perspective I could also see how collaborative storytelling can lead to paths that we are uncomfortable with (both in game and in the relationships to the other gamers outside of the game). It's good to reflect on our own expectation that we place upon others and how that influences them.

Because of its mumblecore internet format the film may not work for many people. It slowly eeks out in snippets- and can sometimes have shoddy cinematography designed to replicate typical creepy videos. I wondered if we'd get more found footage horror action rather than just hinting at disturbing things if the film would make more of a visceral impact- but everything is viewed through the manipulated efforts of what the presenter wants us to see.

Participation in that kind of lackadaisical storytelling requires suspension of disbelief. It's an aimless perspective that starts to feel like more of an experiential art installation than a film with a plot; therefore it’s more interesting to think about your own personal connection to its themes than what happened to the characters.

Whenever we discuss topics with internet strangers we're often relying on creating a foundational sense of what our world is. I could easily see this being a film about conspiracy and communal truth- about how mass communication interacts in a way that creates reality because we will that reality to be. We can latch on to that, no matter how real that reality is. It can even create or distort our identity when we self describe ourselves as part of that reality.

Who we choose to be is just part of the game…….