The Fair

Ines Sommer

2025/ 79 minutes
United States / United States
English

Set in a conservative, mostly white community in Central Illinois – not far from where Abraham Lincoln lived as a young man – The Fair looks at American rural life and pastimes through the spectacle of an annual county fair. As we witness rituals of livestock judging, craft competitions, pig chases, and an extended behind-the-scenes look at the fair's beauty pageant, the image of a tight-knit community emerges. Infused with subtle touches of humor, the film's patient observational approach reveals a mainstream America where traditional gender roles long predate TikTok "tradwives" trends and where our complicated relationship with animals emerges as a potent undercurrent.