The Fabelmans

CHARLIE THIRKETTLE | CONTENT WRITER

It is safe to say Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans strikes a particular nerve, particularly as a full-time film student. The 2022/23 film slate has bought us a selection of great pictures showcasing the beautiful art of filmmaking, not least Damien Chazelle's magnum opus Babylon (2023), which depicts the “Golden Age” of 1920s Hollywood. Sam Mendes presented us with Empire of Light (2023), a beautiful story detailing the power of love and cinema. And, of course, Steven Spielberg released his semi-autobiographical love letter to the silver screen with The Fabelmans (2023).

Set across late 1950s and early 60s USA, Spielberg’s film follows Sammy Fabelman, an aspiring filmmaker who is navigating his childhood and teenage years, as well as his wildly dysfunctional family. Sammy, based on Spielberg himself and played by Gabriel LaBelle, discovers filmmaking when he goes to the cinema as a young boy to watch The Greatest Show on Earth

From that moment on the wide eye, Sammy sees his future and becomes instantly captivated by the magic of film. He struggles with the balance of emotions over which he loves more: family or film. As Sammy develops as a character, the scales begin to tip.

Alongside the main story, The Fabelmans delves deep into the complexity of growing up as a Jew in America. Throughout his life, Spielberg himself has said he had to hide his “Jewishness” due to growing up in predominantly Christian areas, to not be a target of antisemitism.

However, now older, and more open about the matter, The Fabelmans feel like a true acknowledgement of his past and his relationship with Judaism. The film’s spotlighting on Jewish traditions and language gives audiences a unique look into a world rarely shown on screen.

Complementing the film's outstanding plot is the casting, which includes both established Hollywood performers and fresh up-and-coming talent. Incredible performance from Michelle Williams brings pure agony to the screen. Her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Mitsy is as much a pleasure to watch as it is painful, as beautiful as it is tragic.

The relationship between William's character and her on-screen son Sammy is natural and realistic, leaving a warmth inside the hearts of any mothers and sons watching. Alongside Williams, Paul Dano steals the show with his performance of Burt Fabelman. As a computer engineer, Burt is the antagonist to Sammy. A loving father at heart, Dano flawlessly delivers the character of a stubborn dad. He is the consistent reminder to both Sammy, and the audience, that filmmaking is ‘just a hobby’.

As the 20th collaboration between Spielberg and Polish cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, The Fabelmans naturally looks stunning. Shot on 35mm film, the picture carries the same look and aesthetic of the films that a young Sammy shows his family and peers. A vintage, nostalgic timbre transcends through the screen taking us right back to the warm summers in post-War Arizona. The role of a good film is to entertain the audience, to present worlds and stories that take us from our mundane lives and transport us to a realm of pure imagination. But if a film leaves you with the desire to create, it has exceeded its role. Upon leaving the cinema I left inspired, it struck the nerve that made me fall in love with film, the same itch a young Sammy had to scratch after leaving the cinema for the first time.

The Fabelmans is a beautifully crafted masterpiece; a coming-of-age story soaked with the memoirs of Spielberg’s own life which makes for a story well worth telling. Whether it be Spielberg's swan song or not, The Fabelmans will live as a moving artefact to possibly one of the greatest filmmakers to ever do it.