The Fabelmans: A Heartfelt Ode To Film & Family
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
Every divorce leaves a mark, but none have impacted American cinema quite as profoundly as that of Arnold and Leah Spielberg. Their dissolve would make such an impression on the young filmmaker that he would spend decades building iconic blockbusters out of the bones and ashes of their ruin — and all for our entertainment. No matter what genre he tackled, his experience as a child of divorce seemed to consistently seep into the material in some way, big or small, usually manifesting in themes of broken homes, daddy issues, and families in crisis. And like a trail of breadcrumbs scattered throughout a staggering 50-year career, it all points to The Fabelmans, an explicitly autobiographical drama that finds Spielberg finally grappling with his parents’ divorce directly.
But The Fabelmans is much more than a coming-of-age memoir film about divorce; it’s also a potent and passionately articulated love letter to the power of cinema crafted by one of the medium’s greatest living makers. The way Spielberg and co-screenwriter Tony Kushner link the two is particularly fascinating, as it symbolically illustrates cinema’s ability to expose truths that can change how we see the world and those around us. There’s great joy to be had watching the young Sammy Fabelman (our fictional Spielberg stand-in) make movies with his friends, feel his way out as a director, and discover clever innovations along the way, but there’s also a devastating quality to his art as well: it exposes his mother’s affair, causing him to lose his innocence and see his paternal figures as people, not parents. Sammy’s movies bring the Fabelmans together, but they also wind up tearing them apart, and this revelation causes Sammy to re-evaluate his relationship with both his mother and his art.
Spielberg and Kushner illustrate this again in a later scene where Sammy makes a film for his high school’s senior Ditch Day. In this instance, Sammy uses his filmmaking prowess to win over the high school, turn a bully into a pathetic loser, and make a jock (who’s also a bully) appear as a superstar. This gives Sammy an even greater sense of cinema’s power, and it leads to a confrontation between the bully and the jock whose somewhat clumsy resolve ties back into the film’s other major theme: forgiveness. Yes, you guessed it, Sammy repairs his relationship with his parents, but you also get the sense that Spielberg is doing the same thing as well, which gives it an added layer of dimension, heart, and charm.
The Fabelmans gracefully navigates some very real depths, but at the same time, it also maintains a wonderful sense of humor. There are some absolutely hysterical scenes in here (like Sammy’s relationship with his Jesus-loving girlfriend Monica), not to mention a real barnburner of an ending, complete with a visual gag as the cherry on top, both of which will have you soaring out of the theater. David Lynch’s cameo is worth the price of admission alone, but everything else going on in The Fabelmans is just as delightful. Spielberg showcases some truly excellent blocking and staging, finding the right momentum and flow in scene after scene, with Janusz Kamiński’s gorgeous cinematography giving us many moments of cinema magic. All of the performances are strong, but Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle, and Judd Hirsch standout the most and make up the heart of the movie. Williams and Dano give expectedly great performances, with Hirsch capitalizing on a small but important role, but it’s LaBelle who surprises the most.
The whole affair is imbued with Spielberg’s trademark sense of childlike wonder and sentimentality, which doesn’t diminish the more adult moments and makes it all wash down smooth. It falters at times, particularly in its high school section, but overall, it’s ride is an absolute delight that’s packed with many moments of power and magic. There’s an undeniable beauty, wistful profundity, and charm to it, as well as a universal edge. After all, who hasn’t heard their mother ask, “What was your favorite part?,” as you drive home from the movie theater? When it comes to The Fabelmans there’s a whole lot that comes to mind.
Recommendation: If you love Steven Spielberg films or movies about making movies, definitely don’t sleep on The Fabelmans. It’s not just Spielberg’s most personal film; it’s also one of his best.
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