《西部是如何被娱乐化的》：亚利桑那主题公园里的牛仔怀旧

‘Who wants a pistol? Raise your hand.’

At the Trail Dust Town theme park in Tucson, Arizona, visitors step out of their normal lives and into the city’s past. Or, more accurately, a funhouse mirror of the past that plays up the cowboy romance and tamps down the drudgery and poverty to cultivate a good ol’ time. Over the course of a day, the US directors Sue Ding and Sarah Garrahan capture visitors enjoying the park’s many attractions, including shooting games, live shows, rides and, of course, the opportunity to cosplay as sheriffs, outlaws and saloon girls in the old-timey photography studio. Throughout, park guests discuss what draws them to Trail Dust Town. Whether it’s movie mythos, a longing for a simpler, ‘less political’ era, or just the fun of escapism, there’s an undeniable allure in stepping into a romanticised past that never quite existed.