Review - The Fabelmans

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner
Starring: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Judd Hirsch
Running Time: 151 minutes
Rating: 5/5

Everything happens for a reason.

On a hot humid evening at the Princess of Wales Theatre, hours before Toronto audiences were graced with the presence of Steven Spielberg, a director whose legendary body of work needs no introduction, someone asked me if there was a film that affected me so much that I knew I needed to pursue being involved with film. Just like any cinephile faced with the question “What’s your favourite movie?”, I didn’t have a straight answer. I could pinpoint specific cinemagoing memories that have been ingrained in my brain, but not any film specifically.

Call it fate, call it serendipity, call it b’sheret, but without hyperbole, The Fabelmans affected me on such an emotional level, I think I finally have an answer.       

“The Fabelmans looks back at Spielberg’s own childhood, but frames his narrative in a way that its emotional maturity never wavers in a hokey sentimentality, but rather with complex flawed characters to exude the fallibility of ambition, control, and love... and in doing so, has not only made one of [Spielberg’s] best film in years, but one that is going to being considered for Oscar buzz, and rightfully so.”

Now, Steven Spielberg is a director that needs no introduction. It’s hard to even put into words how much his films and production company, Amblin, has shaped my childhood, adolescence, and after seeing the world premiere of The Fabelmans, (the first time that Spielberg has ever had a film premiere in competition at a festival), my adulthood. It’s interesting how a film with such anticipated prestige like The Fabelmans ends up becoming a world premiere at a festival like TIFF, but I will say, Spielberg still knows how to inspire audiences at the age of 75.

Co-penned by his West Side Story collaborator Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans looks back at Spielberg’s own childhood, but frames his narrative in a way that its emotional maturity never wavers in a hokey sentimentality, but rather with complex flawed characters to exude the fallibility of ambition, control, and love. Self-admittedly, Spielberg noted in the post-screening discussion how the process of creating the film’s story acted as a form of therapy to bring back his mother and father (both passed away in 2017 and 2020 respectively), and in doing so, has not only made one of his best films in years, but one that is going to being considered for Oscar buzz, and rightfully so.

Highlighting some of the best performances I’ve seen in a Spielberg film in years, Michelle Williams and Gabriel LaBelle provide their respective characters with such sincere vulnerability, especially in certain moments between just the two of them, that I could not stop myself from crying. Judd Hirsch feels like an automatic lock for a Best Supporting Actor award with his scene stealing 5-minute appearance, particularly a talk he gives to LaBelle, that articulated a dichotomy about love of family and the ambition of pursuing art that I have been struggling with for over a decade.

Sometimes, a movie comes along at just the right time to provide a spark of creativity, an essence of passion. Just like the horizon, the simplest answer can be right in front of you without the need to overthink it. Being true to oneself is hard, and I’ll be the first to admit that. Sometimes other people come along at the right time to help foster and encourage that hidden potential, even when you least expect it. That’s what I truly felt after seeing The Fabelmans.

I’ve got to hand it to the boychik, he’s still got it.