Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans has been receiving a lot of buzz since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last Saturday. The earnest and semi-autobiographical film is reminiscent of Spielberg's own childhood, and heart-on-the-sleeve approach has already won over critics.
The film centers on a young boy named Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) growing up in post-World War II Arizona (where Spielberg also spent his adolescence), who must grapple with a shattering family secret, which he does by devoting himself to his love of cinema. His father, Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) is not quite as supportive of his son's fascination with the arts, considering his own career as a computer engineer (a career shared with Spielberg's father, Arnold). His mother, Mitzi Fabelman (Michelle Williams) a concert pianist (much like Spielberg's mother, Leah Adler) is much more supportive of her son's artistic visions. The film is dedicated to the memory of Spielberg's parents.
Universal Pictures, distributors of The Fabelmans, recently dropped a new trailer for the film. The trailer showcases the familial relationships present in the personal drama. Sammy Fabelman's love of cinema is portrayed with some fantastic visuals - one scene features him locked away in a dark room, his hands clasped together as a makeshift cinema screen. Meanwhile, the conflict between Mitzi and Burt is on full-display as the two grapple with their son's interest in film. And the challenges the whole family faces while being Jewish are also highlighted throughout - at one point, Sammy opens his locker only to encounter a disparaging comment about Jewish people. It all reads as a very personal take on Spielberg's own adolescent experiences; while it won't be without conflict, there's an underlying warmth throughout which is perhaps an indication that the film's central character, like Spielberg, will go on to fulfill his dreams and more.
The film has apparently been on Spielberg's mind for quite a while. As far back as the 1990s, the filmmaker had enlisted his sister to create a script entitled I'll Be Home, but chafed under the idea that his parents would not like the critical (yet loving) role they played in his development. But Spielberg finally ended up producing the film, and seems to have poured his heart into the project, based on the trailer. The film's cast is star-studded, the cinematography is incredibly rich with subtext and metaphor, and he's even gone so far as to enlist David Lynch for the project (though in an acting capacity, in an unknown role).
It's a testament to how far, and how legendary, Spielberg has become, that a semi-autobiographical film about his life and childhood could become so anticipated. The director has been a pioneer of filmmaking ever since he first stepped on the screen (for more than fifty years now). And as the industry keeps evolving, so too does Spielberg.
The Fabelmans hits theaters on November 11, 2022.