A striking opening shot in Jess Berry’s Fairground (2025) sees two sides to protagonist, Maggie (Lauren Viteri) – from a night out at the fairground to working at her county fair. But the pressure is truly on for Maggie who must follow in her family’s footsteps and win the Grand Champion title in pig breeding for the third time in a row. She must keep Penny (the family’s pig) in top shape for the competition.
Fairground’s writer, producer, and director Jess Berry is absolutely excellent at directing this female-centred short film. It feels very high budget and with such strong acting from its protagonist. Viteri truly leads this story. The vintage filter washes over the screen to perfectly replicate nearing the end of the ‘90s era. We feel transported back in time like we’re living an American teenage life just before the 2000s roll in.
Fairground: An Excellent Sense of Realism
Berry’s short film, Fairground speaks on striving for perfectionism, family expectations, and growing up too fast. The scenes where Maggie’s parents embarrass her in front of others at the county fair is very realistic to the teenage experience. But it’s also the whole cast here which brings an excellent sense of realism in portraying a strong family dynamic. Fairground certainly has the potential to be a feature film. It also feels like a Netflix TV series.
Viteri acts phenomenally as Maggie. We really feel her pain. But most importantly Viteri’s natural acting ability makes her leap through the screen. She’s more like our friend. However, her family believe in her ability to win much more than she believes in herself. As her father (Mac Brandt) asks her – ‘are you a winner?’ to which she replies straight away in a rather obligatory manner, ‘yes, Dad.’
Maggie’s drab teenage attitude feels like when you are encouraged to compete in something you have no interest in. The dialogue is sharp and witty. It does a lot in its emotional output. Yet the hot, sweltering summer also makes its audience feel like we are right there in the scenes with the characters.
Whimsical Montage Full of Happiness
But we are gifted with a whimsical montage full of happiness and wonderful moments of Maggie and Teddy (Nic Dantes) too. This happy version of Maggie is her finding her self-identity away from the confines of her family’s high expectations. Feeling like she’s completed her duties in the competition’s past years – enough is clearly enough for her. Fairground is completely uplifted in its tone when Maggie peruses around the county fair.
To create a magical environment, the rides glow in the background and light Maggie up in a bright fluorescent frame. Her environment is vividly bolder, energetic, and positive away from her family. But Teddy soon becomes worried he may lose Maggie to fairground worker (played by Carter Shimp). Feeling sparks and an unspoken magnetism, Maggie is stuck in a tough love triangle. Yet just when we enter a new thread in Maggie’s story the scene is cut short and leaves us on a cliffhanger.
There’s clearly much more to this story and the short film is just a snippet into Maggie’s life. Although, we can’t help but think Maggie’s story deserves further exploration. Berry writes Maggie’s story in such a strong way that we really connect with her. Paired with an excellent cast, Fairground does everything just right.
Rating: 4 ½ Stars
Fairground is part of Filmotomy’s coverage on the Femme Filmmakers Festival 2026.
You can read more reviews from the festival, including Ubiquitous (2026) here.
