Short Film ‘Too Long at the Fair’ is a Bold Take on Adulthood by Best Friends About Best Friends

Winner of Best Comedy Short at the 2018 Salute Your Shorts Film Festival, Too Long at the Fair, by writer-directors Jessie Barr and Lena Hudson, is a witty and kinky adventure about fantasies and what happens when they aren’t fulfilled.

The film follows Charlie (Barr) and Val (Hudson), owners of a Princess Party business in Los Angeles. After being fired for being late to a client’s party, they find themselves with increasing worries about their financial situation. They soon meet the charming divorcee Lee (Chris Messina – The Mindy Project, Sharp Objects) and the threesome return to his mansion for a day of smoking, drinking, and an exchange of their innermost desires. It’s a film all about the ups and downs of adulthood and the California dream. As most of us do, Charlie and Val had an idea of how they wanted their life to turn out, but have been met with nothing but crushed dreams. And as the film continues, what seems like a day filled with innocent fun, takes an unexpected turn as the pair are consumed by the desperation created by money.

Barr and Hudson’s film can not only be added to the list of “great movies about friendship with a swimming pool scene,” but has the awkward and funny charm of the best comedies. It’s clear from the very beginning, as Charlie and Val present their unique way of how a Princess should look, that we’re in for something goofy and fresh. And what’s more, Barr and Hudson are best friends in real life. Together, they create a film that is narratively sharp, honest and emotional in a way that can only be done through a collaboration of true friendship.

Too Long at the Fair, throughout its runtime, touches on the reflection of lost dreams and hopeful fantasies; the shameful decisions in achieving them, and the sadness felt when you don’t. But regardless of what transpires in its 14-min length, Charlie and Val come to the realisation that failure is okay because they’re going through it together.

You can watch Too Long At The Fair on Vimeo here.

by Sara Clements

Sara Clements is a freelance arts and culture writer and journalism student from Canada. She has written for local print publications, as well as for online publications such as Reel Honey, Much Ado About Cinema, Vague Visages and more. Likes to pressure her friends into watching Paddington