Direction: Jane Schoenbrun
Country: USA
Jane Schoenbrun’s coming-of-age horror experience, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, is a psychological, sleep-inducing manipulation where technology addiction, extreme loneliness, and mental illness go together. However, and despite the interesting combination, the film is as exciting as watching grass grow.
The introverted Casey (Anna Cobb) is a reclusive teen who spends her lonely days in an attic bedroom, completely immersed in the Internet. Fascinated by horror movies and the paranormal, she decides to participate in an obscure online game known for causing unexpected symptoms and reactions. They may as well have access to her dreams. One day, she receives a message from JLB (Michael J. Rogers), a former gamer who warns her of the danger.
World’s Fair is the type of horror avatar for our times - deceptive, darkly conspiratorial, infinitely tedious; its atmosphere should be scary but remains inert. Hence, whatever the big secret would be with this role-playing game, I was quickly itched by the desire to go surfing on other screens. The idea is not bad, but Schoenbrun lacks cinematic arguments, approaching the topic with a minimalistic style in need of a stronger grip and more captivating scenarios. With no hesitation: “I DON’T want to go to the World’s Fair!”.
