The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg directs and co-writes, with Tony Kushner, this semi autobiographical story of growing up and finding your passion. We follow Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan plays the young version and Gabriel Labelle the older) who discovers cinema at a young age. He is fascinated and wants to learn how to create the same magic. His father Burt (Paul Dano) is a very talented computer engineer, analytical and driven and sees his son’s passion as no more than a hobby. Mitzi (Michelle Williams) his mother is a talented musician an artist and a dreamer, who believes in his dream. It is in this environment he tries to follow his passion. This passion is his constant and sees him through house moves, anti-Semitism, bullying, his first love and family breakdown.

The Fabelmans has a lot of awards buzz. But I have to say it left me rather cold. It’s not a terrible film and I’m not 100% sure why I didn’t connect with it.

The opening act is beautiful the young Sammy finding the wonder of cinema and his exploration of how to make film is mesmerising. Its final act, including a wonderful final scene, is equally entertaining, maybe less heart warming, but joyous as Sammy finally moves towards fulfilling his dream.

It’s the middle portion of the film I struggled with as his family starts to disintegrate and I found it a hard to have any empathy for Mitzi for the position she puts the family in. That’s not a reflection of the performance, Michelle Williams is excellent as the increasingly unstable Mitzi. But her story was annoying rather than engaging.

Performances are great throughout Paul Dano perfectly balances Mitzi’s excesses as a “good man”. Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch and especially Chloe East as Sammy’s Jesus loving first love all add plenty. And Gabriel Labelle is really engaging playing Sammy.

I wish I’d connected with The Fabelmans more than I did. It is Spielberg’s love letter to those who inspired him and there is lots to enjoy. But ultimately it left me feeling a little cold, which was a real pity.