Review 678: The Fablemans

 

The Fablemans is a magical, deeply poignant and autobiographical, coming-of-age film and Steven Spielberg’s most personal and soulful filmmaking at its finest.

Based on Spielberg's real upbringing and experiences; Growing up in post-WWII Arizona, from age 7 to 18, young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.

The plot is a wonderfully touching “fable” of someone who dreams big, goes through many up and downs in his family life and at school and yet never gives up on his dreams. Opening with a single take shot of Jewish couple Mitzi and Burt Fableman taking their son, young Sammy to see his first film: Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (which incidentally Spielberg saw and credits as one of his major inspirations that led him into a film career), The Fablemans draws on these personal experiences and themes of forgiveness, interellation, family and passion as well as   to craft a transportive and touching "fable" of personal reminiscence on childhood and discovering cinema. We see that in the film’s portrayal of Sammy, his parents and his sisters playing in deep imagination. In this oppening, we see the wonder and the horror in young Sammy's eyes and how it captures his immagination.

Not since E.T. has a film been so close to Steven Spielberg's heart. The title of the film is not only about the titular family but it's also has roots in Spielberg's Jewish religion and the film itself is a Fable. Because the film is autobiographical for Spielberg but isn't an autobiography, it's not a documentary, so there's a fictional element as well. So "Fabelman" is a nod to that as well.

Watching the film, you get the sense that Spielberg may have been creating his own biography in the way certain events in his life happen to fall into place. It’s like a Time Machine for him because you get the strong sense that he knew where he was at every moment portrayed onscreen. You really feel like you're travelling through 20 years of his life to get to where he started as a filmmaker.

At its core, The Fabelmans is a film about family, parents, siblings, bullying, all the ups and downs of growing up in a family that stays together and until they're no longer together and it’s an ode to the power of movies. Sammy Fabelman’s family is complicated which is certainly interesting to watch unfold. It’s about navigating your family and getting to know your family and how the humanisation of your parents is a tragic yet beautiful thing that happens. Spielberg uses these different chapters of this average family as a reflection of different American familys and to be able to remind all of us that we all have experinces similar to The Fablemans.

Steven Spielberg's direction is sensitive and  the score by John Williams is majestic, offering up another magical score that blends seamlessly into the proceedings and offers an wonderfully poignant portrait of a 50 year friendship. The cinematography is beautiful and captures the beauty and appeal of childhood and the settings; of particular note are two beautiful images of young Sammy using his hands , the locations are fantastic, the production design (recreating 50s and 60s Arizona) is splendid, the costumes are fabulous, the make up is rich

Gabriel LaBelle delivers a breakout performance as young filmmaker Sammy Fableman. He stops seeing his mum as a parent and more as a person. He has an insaitiable curiosity about him

Michelle Williams is wonderful as Mitzi Fabbleman, playing her as a flawed but loving mother figure. A mother trying desperately to keep her family together because she can't help but follow her heart and yet she is Sam's rock and encourges to pursure his dreams of being a filmmaker.

Paul Dano is also very strong playing Burt Fableman, Sammy's father. The contrast between Mitzi and Burt is really fun to explore, whereas Mizi encourages Sammy's artistic exploits, Burt struggles to understand it as little more than an hobby but is otherwise an excellent provider for his family as well as a caring and loving father who is torn between following his career and caring for his wife and family under increasingly difficult circumstances. He also struggles to stand up to Mitzi when he discovers her infidelity.

Seth Rogen, in another serious performance playing Benie Loewy, Burt's best friend and co-worker who becomes a surrogate uncle for Sammy and his sisters.

Judd Hirsch is only in the film for a single scene by he's steals the show playing Boris Podgorny, Sammy's granduncle

The Fablemans is a beautifully touching film about an average family made by an unaverage filmmaker 5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.