“The Fabelmans” (2022) Review
Written by Victor DeBonis
What someone is passionate about can vastly help someone and create greater meaning for that person more than they ever realized. For everyone, their passion is different, but, for me, it came in two forms: writing, telling stories, and movies. Even when I was frightened by certain films more than others or I was put off by some films more than others, early on, I never lost my love for it, and part of the reason was that I was so inspired by how certain stories were told and how much I cared for the characters and how they would overcome their challenges on screen.
As an adult, I have come to learn that one’s passions aren’t necessarily a hobby. That person’s passions bring out a spark and something grander to the world. It brings light and joy when the rest of the world or life, in general, gets vastly complicated. To ignore that passion entirely can leave an uncomfortable emptiness.
Steven Spielberg’s latest movie “The Fabelmans” explores this truth and many others with the sincerity and humanity that many have, by this point, come to recognize him and his movies by. For decades, he has been one of the most recognized examples of a masterful artist sharing his passion and craftmanship with the rest of the world through works, including but not limited to “Jaws” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” “Saving Private Ryan” among others. Ask many filmmakers who was a big inspiration for them to start making movies, and his name will often come up.
Yet, for someone who has made a film for pretty much every genre and has still stayed relevant in the eye of pop culture, there was always a sense that he wanted to tell more of his personal life story, too. Notice the child-like wonder and imagination that pops up in “E.T” or “Raiders.” The theme of a parent being disconnected or not present in countless films, such as “Catch Me If You Can” “Hook” “War of the Worlds” and others was never there by accident. Honestly, his ability to use his stories to voice his complicated feelings in regards to his past and family has been one of the things that has fascinated me the most about him. Storytellers that use their art to convey their feelings about their lives, both good and bad, have certainly played a part in inspiring me as I’ve started working on my own tales to voice my feelings and experiences from my own life, and Spielberg has definitely been one of those that has been an influence in this regard.
Every artist brings much of themselves or their life to their work, and Spielberg is certainly no different. That’s why, in a movie that’s fictional but is semi-autobiographical in representing this director’s upbringing, it’s even more wondrous and refreshing to see him finally tell much of his story and share plenty of heart while also leaving the audience with much to reflect on.
Paul Dano and Michelle Williams play the parents of the main character of the film, aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman, and they, along with the terrific script written by Tony Kushner and (of course) Spielberg, work wonderfully at never making the misstep of presenting their roles as either idolized figures. You understand both why they want what they do, and you never find yourself hating them when they make their mistakes. Dano speaks with immense fascination about items related to science or analysis, even if others don’t always share the same enthusiasm. He is quiet and not often aware of how others might not share his fondness for science, but he never lacks compassion or a yearning to understand why things might not go right. I’ve always admired Dano since I first saw him in “There Will Be Blood” and his performance here once more reminds me how great he is at sliding into the roles of whatever role he plays.
Williams’ role is not an easy one. It would be easy to feel strange with watching a mother who can act flighty and appear greatly lost at times and not truly connect with what she’s going through. As it turns out, Williams is more than up to the challenge, and, while her character can do questionable (and, sometimes, hurtful) things, she voices a vulnerability and passion that remains. In moments in which she plays her beloved piano, she demonstrates both incredible concentration and undeniable talent through how she glides across the keys. Her moments of loud frustration and joyful laughter represent bits of a complicated parent who feels that she never got to explore her creative side and also had a harder time maintaining her unpredictable emotions. Sometimes, she seems almost lost in her emotions, both good and bad. In a few moments, she almost seems as though she’s on another world. And, while I didn’t necessarily agree with every action that she did, I still found her fascinating and hoped that she might find some better peace following her moments of great pain.
Every actor in the film brings terrific material and has a special moment to shine. Judd Hirsch isn’t in the film very long, but he conveys plenty of gusto and humor with his presence. Through probably one of my favorite performances of his, Seth Rogen is excellent at playing someone who is great at voicing humor in almost any scenario but, also, being smart and straightforward when he senses that something is off.
The relationship between her and her son is easily one of the reasons that I love the film as I do. I’ve talked before about the big impact that my mother has had on me and how her influence on my life has often led me to find fascination with good stories centering around relationships between mothers and their sons or daughters. This is another example of one of them. It’s also neat to see both of them look to art as a way of escaping from the hardship of their lives. For Sam, it comes from making movies, and, for the mother, it comes from her playing piano. It’s touching to see the mother who always had an artist’s spirit encourage her son to follow his own artistic desires because, in all honesty, the son has more of the artist’s spark rather than the scientist’s spark in him. Despite showing the mother in some of her unfortunate moments, this film can, in a way, be seen not solely as a tribute to the director’s roots and love for film but, particularly, to his mother, which I found very moving.
Without explaining much, there’s a fascinating part about telling a story in which a son can initially idolize his mother and, then, see her in a less-than-pleasant light, and, as the story goes on, simply try to find out what the best way is to maintain the connection after experiencing what he does. The moments in which the younger version of Sam looks up to his mother with evident love and appreciation are moving, and the moments in which they both struggle to connect or realize the pain of how much they hurt the other hit straight to the emotional core with compassion and honesty. Through all the pain that takes place, however, there’s still a sense of love and connection between the two, and their bond with each other, as well as their shared love for art and expression, rings true and believable.
Relationships are complicated at times, and, to me, some of the films that I’ve thought or admired the most voice that truth without tapdancing around them. In the case of this story, when it is discovered that somebody did something that was out of line and not in the best interest of the rest of the family from that point forward, it’s easy to understand why those who are angry act as they do. Honestly, I was surprised that even angrier actions didn’t happen once the movie reaches a very painful point in its story (You’ll know what it is when you get to it).
Despite the hurtful events that take place, however, characters in the film are still trying their best to make things work out or, at least, do their best when close to the people who they trusted so much but have hurt them in ways that even they couldn’t imagine. They may argue when they’re on the verge of being fully fed up, and they may say spiteful words in a half-hearted attempt to conceal how hurt they’ve been by someone’s actions, but, at the end of the day, they’re still trying to see what the best way is to maintain their love or connection.
My parents, thankfully, have never had a divorce, and they still represent a couple that has always loved each other, differences aside, and were truly made for each other. Yet, I’ve experienced my fair share of relationships that didn’t turn out the way that either me or the other person would’ve hoped for. As much as it would be easy for me to say that I’ve completely stopped caring about the people that I’ve stopped being in connection with, that hasn’t happened. People who you develop love for or develop strong relationships with, even if a few of them don’t last or turn out the way you plan, leave their marks for better or worse, and removing them from your heart altogether is not as easy as we would like to believe. I know that others have had relationship struggles or ends as well, and, so, I can thoroughly understand and believe the journey through which this story’s characters, particularly the parents and Sam, are trying to see how their love and connection can survive in the aftermath of hurtful events.
Some people in a relationship can find a good way to resolve a conflict or hurtful action. Some people can find it hard (or, in some cases, impossible) to forgive someone from something hurtful that they’ve done. This doesn’t mean that it’s right or that it’s fun, but that’s just life. No matter how much a few people may tell you how much they love you, no matter what amazing memories you may share with said people, time or hurtful actions can easily change those relationships, and the outcome might not be what either of you want, but you just have to make the best decision in spite of some of the heartbreak that might come from it.
That’s what makes some family stories as great as they are. Some of them aren’t all about how love conquers all. Some are about moving on when one’s family has started to go on a separate path. This movie completely understands that as one of those fantastic stories about family, and it does it without making any character a villain.
Spielberg truly shines with how he films many scenes in this. He lets the camera zoom in close enough to see the raw emotion of a character when pushed to a point, and the camera can follow characters around to show them at their most frustrated or when they’re about to unleash pain upon someone. However, he also knows when to pause upon characters trying to reconcile or have a meaningful discussion about what next step to take.
Some of the best scenes that he films easily come from showing Sam (played to terrific effect by Gabriel LaBelle) working on his craft of making movies and either circling around or showing a wider image of him on either editing or filming his projects. Details, such as him giving direction to his performers or examining what to do with his strips of film, left me amused and smiling with noticing how much love this character had for making movies and how talented he was at his age, too. It also helps that LaBelle demonstrates an overall quieter, more introverted demeanor (not unlike his father), but, when he sits in front of a movie screen, he displays his complete attention and focus to the screen. And, when he is giving direction to a performer or talking about a camera or making a film, he shows undeniable enthusiasm and the insight of a true artist and storyteller in the making.
In some ways, this story reminded me of another film that was a huge love letter to movies, specifically 2011’s “Hugo” and how that tale also used a young protagonist to help show what wonder and joy movies could bring through both good and bad times. “The Fabelmans” is also a sincere love letter to cinema, and its love is shown more through the demonstration of the filmmaking of Sam and how much his passion for what he loves most helps bring the most joy in his own life story.
One of my greatest passions in life, next to writing and storytelling, comes from movies. Talking about film (movies or shows), seeing movies in the theater per week or so, looking up film history, even talking about a film that wasn’t so great has always brought me joy, so I can definitely connect with the happiness that this boy’s greatest passion brings to him in his story. I can connect with the moments in which the boy’s love for movies helped him through some of his unpleasant times.
Cinema isn’t necessarily a medicine, but I can easily say that seeing movies or doing something involved with it or film, in general, has played a significant part in helping me through some of my tougher times in these past few years. Seeing some stories from film have given me hope and inspired me to follow doing what I love or strive more towards reaching my goals that I believed in. Simply going to see a film in a theater, even if I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it, was always something that I looked forward to doing at the end of my week as a type of escape. My growing love for movies and writing about them and sharing my reviews with others played a decent role in helping me make new friends.
I understand where this film comes from in showing how making movies can help others in ways that they don’t expect because the medium of film has certainly done that for me. This film explores several ideas in a thoughtful manner, whether it’s family or artistic discovery or adjusting to a new place or growing apart from someone that you previously loved to a higher extent or trying to figure out how a hero or heroine that you looked up to and admired is human and can hurt and make mistakes, too.
A few parts of this story left me wondering if they truly happened as they did with how they were acted or presented, but they were not many. Even if some don’t know anything about Spielberg’s life, I have a sense that some audience members will be eager to learn even more about him after seeing this film. This is easily one of my favorite movies that Spielberg has done since “Catch Me If You Can.”
“The Fabelmans” tells much of this great director’s life with heart, wonder, intelligence, and emotional sincerity.
Definitely go see it for yourself.
Grade: A