Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Steven Spielberg / Tony Kushner
Starring: Michelle Williams / Paul Dano / Seth Rogen / Gabriel LaBelle / Jenee Berlin / David Lynch / Judd Hirsch / Julia Butters / Sam Rechna / Robin Bartlett / Keely Cassel / Matteo Zorion Frances De Forte / Ox Fegley / Chloe East / Isabelle Kusman / Buddy Boria / Alina Bres / Sofia Koppel / Chandler Lovelle / Gustav Chiloz / Nicholas Cantu / Cooper Dedson / Gabrielle Betman / Stephen Matthew Smith / James Urbaniak / Alex Quijano / Karama Epstein / Connor Trinneer / Greg Glennberg / Jane Hogg / Ezra Buzzington / Larkin Campbell / Deborah Dir / Viola 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: Dream Master (Hong Kong)
IMDb: tt14208870
The Fabelmans (2022) is a heartwarming and delightful story based on Steven Spielberg's childhood, starring the charming Gabriel LaBelle.
Steven Spielberg's films cover a wide range of themes, including sharks, war, dinosaurs, explorers, and aliens. However, listing these themes does not reveal the true essence of his films. For the past 52 years since his debut film Duel (1971), broken families have been a constant theme in his works. Another recurring theme is the awe-inspiring face, looking up with eyes as wide as teacups, shining in the light.
After his remarkable but underrated adaptation West Side Story (2021), Spielberg returns to his roots with The Fabelmans (2022), a tender and captivating semi-fictional memoir that explores his own artistic beginnings. The film received seven Oscar nominations and one British Academy Film Award nomination, the latter of which was 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, and the charismatic Gabriel LaBelle portrays him as a teenager. Sam is an aspiring filmmaker who learns to use his camera to bring meaning and imagery to a complex, turbulent, and sometimes unfriendly world.
The young filmmaker's debut short film is a reimagining of a scene from Cecil B. DeMille's film The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which fascinated and moved him: a train crash. While waiting in line, Sam's electrical engineer father, Bert (played by Paul Dano), describes the techniques that make the images come to life to calm his nerves, while his musician mother, Mitz (played by Michelle Williams), enthusiastically says, "Movies are dreams you'll never forget."
You might suspect that Spielberg and his collaborator Tony Kushner are preparing an American version of Cinema Paradiso (1988), where the magic of film will be intensely present for two and a half hours. In reality, their script focuses more on Sam's dreams and the tension between him and the cinematography crew, and how it shapes his approach to using the camera, which in turn influences him.
On one hand, unexpected things happen during the filming. Sam captures a romantic encounter between Mitz and family friend Benny (played by Seth Rogen) through intimate moments, which takes place during a family camping trip. Later, he discovers that these vivid moments can be utilized and even weaponized. In the high school class beach trip footage, he portrays one of the anti-Semitic bullies (played by Ox Fegley) as a frail loner, and the other (played by Sam Rechna) as a wealthy handsome guy. These deceptive acts, which are very different from each other, evoke guilt or anger in their subjects.
Why Sam wants to make his bullies more noticeable in recent Hollywood films is one of the most fascinating moral questions. Perhaps it is related to the advice his uncle Boris (played by Judd Hirsch), a first-generation immigrant and circus veteran, gives him. Boris tells him that art can be the redemption of an outsider, even if creating it further marginalizes you.
Or perhaps it is a response to Mitz's earlier observation when she sees Sam shooting and reshooting his own version of the train collision that scares him: "He's trying to control it in some way." The crucial moment is now the most awe-inspiring shot in Spielberg's films, 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 appears 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 come to life on the screen. The Fabelmans (2022) operates in a more delicate manner, with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's exquisite and beautiful visual language, John Williams' enchanting string, piano, and celesta music, and finely balanced performances.
The roles played by Dano and Williams strike a perfect balance between lovable and exasperating, just like parents often do, which is particularly well done. 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 played by Lynch is too interesting to reveal, but the conception of this shot is undeniably mad and inspired. Furthermore, it happens to be a true story—although the fictional parts of The Fabelmans (2022) are equally real and insightful; the seamless integration 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.