The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg’s most personal work to date, The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on his adolescence and first years as a filmmaker. It is a film that the director has wanted to make for a number of years, counting back as far as 1999, but he has chosen not to out of respect for his family. However, in 2023 the time for its telling has arrived. 

The oldest child in a Jewish family that is forever relocating to new cities, young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) falls in love with movies after his parents take him to the cinema to see The Greatest Show on Earth. Inspired and armed with his father’s camera, Sammy begins his own creative adventure making movies of his own, and his talent begins to get him noticed. As he matures, life throws numerous obstacles in Sammy’s way, from bullying, antisemitism, romantic encounters and a tempestuous home life with his mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and father Burt (Paul Dano), and we the viewers are along for the ride.

To say a personal touch is injected into every corner of the production would be the understatement of the century: during the shoot, the cast gained access to home video, photographs and recollections from the Spielbergs’ past to boost their portrayals and gain inspiration and further insight into how the family interacted. The scenes where we see Sammy create his own films for the first time are actually full recreations from Spielberg’s childhood, and the growth of the future director and development of his cinematic eye that we witness on-screen are essentially replicated exactly. Cute references to the filmmaker’s unborn filmography are scattered throughout, with a self-aware nod to what is to come also proving a comically meta note. 

With a number of broad dynamics that cover a lot of ground, one may feel that The Fabelmans is, on the whole, quite a sad story, as the teenage Sammy is subjected to antisemitism at school, while his sees his dysfunctional family fall apart at home. But it is the underlying sense of resilience in the face of adversity that make the result so provocative and moving. The film serves powerful outings for Dano and Williams as Sammy’s parents, struggling to co-existent with each other due to their differing personalities.

Scenes of sheer absurdity are balanced by moments of pure heart and an outpouring of love that is hard to resist. Yes, there is a large dose of sentimentality and the camera may be subjected to Spielberg’s rose-tinted glasses, but it is this that makes it a story from the heart that touches the soul. A film filled with warmth and humanity, naturally, The Fabelmans also reunites the director with composer John Williams, who once again delivers the kind of superb score cinemagoers have come to expect. 

The movie is tipped for multiple accolades this upcoming awards season, including in the categories of Best Picture and Best Director. It will not be surprising if some of those golden gongs are taken home.

Guy Lambert

The Fabelmans is released nationwide on 27^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for The Fabelmans here: