“The Fabelmans” - My Thoughts

Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” chronicles teenager Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) growing up in suburban Arizona post World War 2. From a young age he is enamoured with all things film. In the earlier scenes we see Sammy as a child recreate a disastrous action sequence after seeing Demille’s “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) with which he utilises his new train set from his father and later with a 8mm camera gifted from his mother.

Sammy Fabelman lives with his Jewish parents Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano) and his three sisters Reggie, Natalie and Lisa. Yet, Sammy cottons on that all is not quite at peace within his parents’ marriage. The film follows his relationship with his parents and the seeds planted of his love of film through the various shorts he makes and how these might not only sometimes represent real life, but also capture it. At times the film is transcendent - one feels as if they are getting an insight into the ‘feeling’ of someone’s history and the starting point of their now world famous career and their relationship with cinema. That it is co-written and directed by the man the film represents makes it all the more powerful and poignant. Don’t get me wrong; this is a very small film about (mostly) the smaller moments in life - the fitting tagline to the film is “Capture Every Moment”, yet there are also a couple of bigger moments which lead us to reevaluate our lives, and maybe even lead some of us too (just like the pivotal years of young Sammy) from innocence to experience.

Surprisingly, “The Fabelmans” isn’t that saccharine (something Spielberg past work has occasionally been criticised for) - in fact, Tony Kushner co-writing along with Spielberg undoubtedly helps the light and effortless tone without obvious manipulation of our emotions. It’s this warm, fable-like tone which makes it more life-affirming than anything.

I’ve heard the film described as ‘overly glossy’, yet the film isn’t a doco or aiming for pure realism. It’s more so an inspirational fable of one’s emotional journey towards experience, with the cinematography by frequently collaborator Janusz Kaminski who skilfully makes the small moments large and cinematic without losing the heart of the piece. The ensemble performances are also impressive, which also includes Seth Rogen as Sammy’s family friend Benny Loewy, as well as a memorable cameo from David Lynch as legendary film director John Ford. Together they all make it a wondrous movie experience that you will want to return to.

Apparently, Spielberg had wanted to film a story of his childhood and relationship with his parents for a while, but kept putting it off. Fortunately, we have finally been given an opportunity to gain insight into his background and view this wonderful film. The film is dedicated to his real life parents who have now passed. It might not be Spielberg’s all time best, but it’s refreshing to see him giving of himself in a different way through not just the love and care of the art of filmmaking, but compassion for his parents and his story. In relation to the shorts in the film, Spielberg allegedly had the character of Sammy “recreate the exact ones he made during his childhood”(The Fabelmans IMDB page). This helps gives the film a highly nostalgic feel. Even in the short film where Sammy ‘casts’ the school bully was to aid a young Steven Spielberg “to face his fears” (The Fabelmans IMDB page). Therefore, the love and evident joy in recreating these scenes from his life (however emotional for Spielberg) similarly creates palpable emotions for the audience.

I’m giving “The Fabelmans” 4.5 stars out of five

You can also check out the trailer for “The Fabelmans” below, as well as my recent film review of another awards contender “The Whale”.