Film Review: The Fabelmans (2022) dir. Steven Spielberg

Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film is so much more than what you might expect.

One of this year’s frontrunners for Best Picture, The Fabelmans is Steven Spielberg’s follow-up to last year’s Oscar-nominated West Side Story. Loosely based on Spielberg’s own childhood, it follows Sammy Fabelman, a young Jewish boy who falls in love with movie-making. It’s the type of self-indulgent passion project that could easily come across as mildly narcissistic at best and completely unrelatable at worst. Yet, Spielberg almost entirely escapes these pitfalls and crafts a film not just about a kid with a knack for motion pictures, but a story of enduring passion, the need to pursue art, and the emotional power of filmmaking.

The story starts off quite predictable – a young boy sees his first film and begins to show a strong aptitude for filmmaking bordering on genius. His eccentric mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams) immediately nurtures this budding passion for art, while his father, Burt (Paul Dano) is slightly less enthusiastic. From just this synopsis, I think it goes to show how predictable the story could be. Myself, I thought I had the entire plot figured out before it even started. This is where Spielberg comes through. We don’t just end up with a story about a kid with talent who works hard to make something of himself. Instead, the movie chooses to focus on the family and how their lives change as their son’s talent becomes more and more a central part of their lives. The film teaches us about the personal responsibility artists hold as they influence people’s emotions or perceptions of others. It’s a lesson learned rather quickly by Sammy, as he captures his mother’s true feelings for his father’s best friend, Benny (Seth Rogen) in the background of his many home videos. It is the beginning of his understanding of the power of film; how it can be used to do more than simply tell stories, it can both uncover and hide real truths; embarrass some and celebrate others; create and destroy ideals; and change what viewers think about both the artist and their subjects.

Like all Spielberg pictures, The Fabelmans feels like Hollywood at its most grandiose. It is a rather large spectacle that shimmers in its mid-century costumes and set design. Its most thrilling sequences or those that show Sammy working – how he puts together a scene and invents new techniques to get the effect he desires. Don't even get me started on the stand out performance in this film. I could on and on about the nuances and complexities in the way Michelle Williams plays Mitzi, but you truly need to see them in action to understand their impact. Something I appreciate the most about this movie is that it doesn’t drone on like some autobiographies can; stuffed to the brim and overzealous in showing every last detail of the subjects life. What we end up with is actually just a few milestone moments where the protagonist faces a new dilemma during his pursuit of his passion. It makes the message of the film that much more clear – that it is better to wholeheartedly pursue happiness regardless of who you hurt along the way than to remain complacent. We see this play out for two different characters: Mitzi, when she ultimately chooses to leave Sammy’s father for Benny despite loving them both; and Sammy when he decides to commit his life to making movies.

Favourite Quotes:

“It’s so beautiful, what you made, dolly. You really see me.” – Mitzi Fabelman

“Art is no game. Art is dangerous as a lion’s mouth. It’ll bite your head off” – Uncle Boris

“Family, art. It’ll tear you in two.” – Uncle Boris

“You do what your heart says you have to, because you don’t owe anyone your life” – Mitzi Fabelman