Somewhere past the bright lights of the midway is a real-life cast of characters living out a very different version of the American dream. Bozo Dave was born into the carnival; it’s the only life he’s known. That is until one day he wipes off his clown makeup and leaves the dunking booth behind to take up a corporate gig in the “real world.” Then there’s Poochie Love, a one-time wannabe crooner who works his games booth with smooth come-ons and spends his downtime at the 7 Wonders bar. And, down in the bunks (tiny motor home quarters), is a struggling threesome made up of a tattooed lothario, his ex-girlfriend, his new girlfriend and their makeshift store filled with, “Anything a carny could possibly want.”

But, what they want is a far cry from what they have. Canadian filmmaker Alison Murray deftly captures the highs and lows of this sub-sect of the working poor in her Hot Docs film, CARNY. Making what amounts to $2.50 an hour, the carnies pine for the chance to buy a nice motor home or maybe land a plum promotion as supervisor of Kiddyland. The heart of the film is found in Hairy (aka Christy), a pretty young gay woman running from abuse and whose happy child-like disposition makes you realize that below pain resilience can foster hope. Maybe one day the girl of her dreams will come up to her cotton candy booth and decide to run away with her and the carnival. As Hairy laments, “Sometimes it’s fun to pretend.”
 
As the doc unfolds we learn that the career-span of a carny is unstable to say the least. Although some have been there for 50 years, it’s smarter to avoid learning anyone's name during their first month—they probably won’t be there the next. The industry is strife with tales of crime, alcoholism and abuse, but as disparate as their world may be, this group of misfits take solace living on the fringes of society. Some are running from the law, but most are running from themselves.