We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is an intimate coming-of-age horror film

《我们要去世界博览会》：一部私密的成长恐怖片

Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, is making a splash in theaters right now. So it seems like the perfect time to revisit their first film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. I fell in love with this film when I first saw it at Sundance in 2021.

简·舍恩布伦（Jane Schoenbrun）的最新电影《米亚斯玛夏令营的青春性与死亡》（Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma）目前正在影院热映。因此，现在正是重温其处女作《我们要去世界博览会》（We’re All Going to the World’s Fair）的最佳时机。我第一次在2021年的圣丹斯电影节上看到这部电影时，就深深爱上了它。

We are immediately introduced to our protagonist, Casey, as she engages in the World’s Fair Challenge, a sort of ARG creepypasta meets ice bucket challenge. There’s a creepy mantra, some bloodletting, and a mysterious video — basically a speedrun of horror movie tropes. But having them all delivered by this young girl alone in her room who just stares directly into her webcam the whole time is unsettling. And I actually physically recoiled when she jabbed herself repeatedly with a pin to draw blood.

故事开篇，我们便见到了主角凯西（Casey），她正在参与“世界博览会挑战”（World’s Fair Challenge）。这是一种融合了ARG（侵入式现实游戏）都市传说和冰桶挑战性质的游戏。其中包含诡异的咒语、放血仪式以及一段神秘视频——基本上是恐怖片套路的快速通关。但当这一切由一个独自待在房间里、全程直视摄像头的年轻女孩呈现出来时，却显得格外令人不安。当她用针反复刺破皮肤取血时，我甚至产生了生理性的退缩。

The idea is that people perform the ritual and then they’re supposed to change in some sort of nebulous way. It’s set up as some sort of “game” where people are supposed to report their symptoms, as they turn into plastic or their guts and become Tetris pieces.

这个挑战的设定是，人们在完成仪式后，身体会发生某种模糊不清的变化。它被包装成一种“游戏”，参与者需要报告自己的症状，比如身体逐渐变成塑料，或者内脏变成了俄罗斯方块的碎片。

Ultimately, World’s Fair is a coming-of-age story about a lonely young girl. She’s never shown talking to kids her own age. Her father is never seen, only heard, and does nothing but yell. She desperately attempts to connect with others by uploading videos documenting the changes she experiences after performing the challenge.

归根结底，《我们要去世界博览会》讲述的是一个孤独女孩的成长故事。片中从未出现她与同龄人交流的场景。她的父亲从未露面，只闻其声，且只会大声咆哮。她通过上传视频记录挑战后的身体变化，以此绝望地试图与外界建立联系。

Importantly, unlike many other coming-of-age films, World’s Fair isn’t about Casey’s sexual awakening and avoids sexualizing her entirely. Instead, it’s about her search for belonging in an extremely online world.

重要的是，与许多其他成长题材电影不同，《我们要去世界博览会》并非关于凯西的性觉醒，且完全避免了对她的性化处理。相反，它探讨的是她在高度网络化的世界中对归属感的追寻。

Basically the only other character to get any screen time is JLB, a lonely middle-aged man who claims Casey is in danger. The relationship between JLB and Casey adds another layer of unease to the film, which already blends horror elements with uncomfortably intimate glimpses into the life of a young girl. The whole thing has a voyeuristic quality. It’s never explicitly stated, but it certainly seems like JLB is attempting to groom the vulnerable Casey.

片中几乎唯一有戏份的另一个角色是JLB，一个声称凯西处于危险之中的孤独中年男子。JLB与凯西之间的关系为影片增添了另一层不安感，这部电影本身就已经将恐怖元素与对一个年轻女孩生活的、令人不适的私密窥探结合在了一起。整部影片带有一种偷窥感。虽然从未明说，但JLB似乎确实在试图诱导（groom）脆弱的凯西。

The movie stews in its uncomfortable ambiguity. And that’s part of what makes it great. It may not reach the surreal or campy heights of I Saw the TV Glow or Camp Miasma, but it’s a rare indie cinema original that uses body horror tropes in new and interesting ways.

这部电影沉浸在一种令人不适的模糊性中，而这正是其伟大之处。它或许没有达到《电视发光时》（I Saw the TV Glow）或《米亚斯玛夏令营》那种超现实或怪诞的高度，但它是一部罕见的独立电影原创作品，以新颖且有趣的方式运用了身体恐怖的套路。

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is available to stream on Criterion Channel, Kanopy, and Hoopla.

《我们要去世界博览会》目前可在Criterion Channel、Kanopy和Hoopla平台上观看。