Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner
Starring: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Janie Berlin, David Lynch, Judd Hirsch, Julia Butters, Sam Rechna, Robin Bartlett, Kiefer Casten, Matteo Zorion Frances De Forte, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Isabelle Kusman, Buddy Boria, Alina Bres, Sofia Kopel, Chandler Lovell, Gustav Chiraz, Nicholas Cantu, Cooper Dadson, Gabriel Bateman, Stephen Matthew Smith, James Urbaniak, Alex Quijano, Karama Epstein, Connor Trinneer, Greg Glennberg, Jane Hogg, Ezra Bazzon, Larkin Campbell, Deborah Dir, Vira Myers
Genre: Drama/Family
Country/Region: United States
Language: English
Release Date: 2023-05-25 (China) / 2022-09-10 (Toronto International Film Festival) / 2022-11-23 (United States)
Runtime: 151 minutes
Also Known As: The Fabelmans / The Fabelmans (Taiwan) / The Fabelman: Master of Dreams (Hong Kong)
IMDb: tt14208870
"The Fabelmans" (2022) is a heartwarming and emotionally charged coming-of-age story based on Steven Spielberg's own childhood. It is led by the charismatic Gabriel LaBelle.
Steven Spielberg's films have covered a wide range of themes, including sharks, war, dinosaurs, adventurers, and aliens. However, listing these themes does not reveal the true essence of his films. Over the past 52 years since his debut film "Duel" (1971), one constant theme in his works has been fractured families. Another constant theme is the awe-inspiring face, looking upwards with eyes as wide as teacups, shining in the light.
After the remarkable but underrated adaptation of "West Side Story" (2021), Spielberg returns to his roots with "The Fabelmans," a tender and breath-taking semi-fictional memoir that explores his own artistic beginnings. The film received seven Oscar nominations and one British Academy Film Award nomination, the latter being somewhat stingy. The film traces the early life of Sam Fabelman, the eldest son of a Jewish family in mid-20th century America. Matteo Zorion Frances De Forte portrays him as a child, while the charming Gabriel LaBelle plays him as a teenager. Sam is an aspiring filmmaker who learns to use his camera to bring meaning and imagery to a complex, tumultuous, and sometimes unfriendly world.
The film's narrative is centered around Sam's dreams and the tension between his aspirations and the cinematography crew, and how it shapes his approach to using the camera and how the camera influences him.
On one hand, the filming captures unexpected moments. Sam captures a fleeting affair between his mother Mitz (Michelle Williams) and family friend Benny (Seth Rogen) through intimate shots during a family camping trip. Later, he discovers that these vivid moments can be utilized and even weaponized. In a high school beach trip recording, he portrays one of the anti-Semitic bullies (Oakes Fegley) as a frail loner and the other (Sam Rechna) as a wealthy heartthrob. These deceptive actions, so different from each other, evoke guilt or anger in their subjects.
In recent Hollywood films, why Sam chooses to make his bullies more captivating is one of the most intriguing moral questions. Perhaps it is related to the advice given to young Sam by his uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), a first-generation immigrant and circus veteran, who tells him that art can be the redemption of outsiders, even if creating it further marginalizes you.
Alternatively, this may be a response to Mitz's earlier observation when she sees Sam filming and repeatedly shooting his own version of the train collision scene he fears: "He's trying to control it in some way." Crucially, it is now the most awe-inspiring shot in Spielberg's film, as his own crash footage becomes the source of light: Sam kneels in a dark room, marveling at his first film flickering in his open palm.
In recent years, Spielberg's filmmaking has appeared effortless. Although his style has become more mature overall, the hardships behind his filmmaking have become increasingly difficult to detect since "Lincoln" (2012). Even his "West Side Story" (2021) seems to effortlessly unfold on the screen. "The Fabelmans," on the other hand, operates in a more delicate manner, with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's exquisite and beautiful visual language, John Williams' enchanting string, piano, and celesta score, and finely balanced performances.
The roles played by Dano and Williams strike the perfect balance between lovable and exasperating, just as parents often do. Despite some self-conscious grandeur, the final scene's cameo is stunning: David Lynch, director of "Mulholland Dr." (2001), appears as a classic Hollywood mogul, giving Sam a brief but unforgettable masterclass. The specific character Lynch portrays is too interesting to reveal, but the conception of this shot is undeniably mad and inspired. Moreover, it happens to be a true story, as the fictional parts of "The Fabelmans" are equally real and revelatory; the seamless fusion of life and art. This is Spielberg's extraordinary talent: even at 76, he still holds the entire film industry in his hands like a boy.