We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a 2021 horror drama film about a teenager who immerses herself in a role-playing horror game online.
Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (A Self-Induced Hallucination documentary) previously. Produced by Sarah Winshall and Carlos Zozaya.
The Dweck Productions-Flies Collective co-production stars Anna Cobb (Bones and All), Michael J. Rogers (Demonic; The Unspoken; The ABCs of Death segment ‘V is for Vagitus’; Beyond the Black Rainbow) and Holly Anne Frink.
Plot:
Late on a cold night somewhere in America, teenage Casey sits alone in her attic bedroom, scrolling the internet under the glow-in-the-dark stars and black-light posters that blanket the ceiling. She has finally decided to take the World’s Fair Challenge, an online role-playing horror game, and embrace the uncertainty it promises.
After the initiation, she documents the changes that may or may not be happening to her, adding her experiences to the shuffle of online clips available for the world to see. As she begins to lose herself between dream and reality, a mysterious figure reaches out, claiming to see something special in her uploads…
Reviews:
” …disconcerting but almost shockingly more human than expected. It’s still a film that demands patience and an open mind, but the cumulative effect is truly haunting the longer one sits with it.” The Artful Critic
“Schoenbrun has crafted an intriguing film that is heavy on mood and creepiness, but the main draw of We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is Cobb’s star-making turn. She owns the screen with a wide variety of facial expressions and emotional displays.” The Scariest Things
“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair captures the unsettling nature of online life while sidestepping the alarmist, borderline techno-phobic messaging of many mainstream films that address the “Social Media Age.” Instead of taking a moral stance on digital life, it expresses the unique modern qualities and uncanny emotionality of it all…” Screen Slate
“Schoenbrun’s film engenders such a deep suspicion of its own footage in the audience that even the supposedly ‘neutral’ and explanatory final coda is difficult to trust. What is, without doubt, is the talents of the filmmakers, including star Anna Cobb, who have created a striking, modern horror which is both restrained and yet unerringly creepy.” Sight & Sound
Release:
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was subsequently shown at film festivals such as Outfest, Grimmfest, Oldenburg and Fantasia.
In the US, Utopia will release We’re All Going to the World’s Fair theatrically in limited locations on April 15th 2022.
In the UK, Lightbulb Film Distribution will release We’re All Going To The World’s Fair in cinemas on April 29th and on Digital Download and Blu-ray on May 9th 2022. The soundtrack will also be available on MP3 via Amazon
Cast and characters:
Anna Cobb … Casey
Holly Anne Frink … Plastic Girl
Michael J Rogers … JLB
Trailer:
