The Fabelmans (2022)
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
Loosely based on Spielberg's childhood growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, from age seven to eighteen, a young man named Sammy Fabelman discovers a shattering family secret, and explores how the power of movies help us see the truth about each other and ourselves.
—
Toronto International Film Festival
New Jersey, 1952. Entranced by his first visit to a movie theatre and haunted by the powerful imagery of
Cecil B. DeMille
's Oscar-winning
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
, young Sammy Fabelman returns home seeking to recreate it. And encouraged by Mitzi, his doting mother, Sammy discovers an irresistible passion for making home movies. As a result, the boy's creative projects become increasingly ambitious, inspired by
John Ford
and
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
. However, when a life-altering family secret hidden in plain sight puts a strain on family ties, influencing his work, Sammy will have to believe in the power of the lens, embrace the slow process of growing up, and pursue his dream to become a storyteller.
—
Nick Riganas
In 1952, Jewish couple Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) Fabelman take their young son Sammy (Mateo Zoryan) to his first film: Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth."
A scene in the film involving a spectacular train crash seems to haunt Sammy's thoughts, and for Hanukkah, he asks for a train set. However, when he crashes the expensive item claiming "he has to see them crash," it is Mitzi who realizes that her son is trying to work through his feelings about what he saw at the theater.
To help Sammy, she borrows her husband's Super 8 camera, and allows her son to film the train crash to work through his emotions, thus ensuring that he won't upset his father any further in regards to the toy train.
Sammy then begins to use the camera to film his sisters Reggie (Birdie Borria) and Natalie (Alina Brace), in a number of homemade productions.
Eventually, Burt lands a new job in Phoenix, Arizona. While Mitzi is upset by this at first, the family is soon on its way, along with Burt's friend "Uncle" Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen).
As Sam (Gabrielle LaBelle) grows into his teenage years, he begins to involve his local Boy Scout troop in his films, and even finds some creative ways to enhance some scenes. While this does impress Sam's father, the elder Fabelman still sees filmmaking as a hobby, and wishes his son would apply his talents to more practical pursuits.
Even so, Sammy continues to film his family, including a camping trip which Bennie accompanies them on.
Tragedy strikes afterwards, when Mitzi's mother Tina (Robin Bartlett) passes away, leaving her emotionally distraught.
Burt surprises Sam by fulfilling his wish for a proper editing machine, on the condition he edit the vacation footage to help cheer Mitzi up as soon as possible. The demand by his father forces Sam to push back the shooting of another film with his Boy Scout Troop, and he reluctantly agrees to Burt's request.
One evening, Mitzi answers the phone, and swears she hears her mother's voice, warning her to not let someone in. Burt dismisses this as a dream, but the next day, the family receives an unexpected visit from Mitzi's Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), leading her to believe he was whom her mother was talking about.
Boris regales the family with stories of being in the circus, but Sam is more interested to hear of his time as an actor in Hollywood. Boris notes that Sam seems to have a creative spark for filmmaking, but warns him that when it comes to art and family, there will always be a struggle. He notes that Mitzi also shares this struggle, given her talents as a pianist could have taken her places, but she chose to be with Burt and her family.
Following Boris' departure, Sam begins to edit the camping footage, but begins to note in a number of scenes, that Mitzi and Uncle Bennie are being quite close to each other.
Sam puts this footage away, and then shows his more "tame" cut to the family, winning adulation from his mother.
With his family movie obligation complete, Sam and his troop work on his World War II film. It is eventually screened to the troop and his family, but during the screening, Mitzi and Bennie seem to be uncomfortably close, and Sam begins to turn a cold shoulder to his mother.
These actions reach a fever pitch when Sam verbally lashes out at his mother one afternoon, and she slaps him, leaving a red bruise.
It is then that Sam privately shows his mother the footage he cut out of the camping trip film, and promises he will stay quiet about her feelings towards Bennie.
Burt's work soon gets the attention of IBM, who offer him a better paying job if he moves to California. This planned move throws Mitzi into turmoil once again, but she is more distraught given that Bennie can't accompany them this time.
At a local camera store, Sam runs into Bennie. While Sam is selling his camera before the move and claims he is done making movies, Bennie surprises him with a new camera as a going-away present.
Sam refuses to accept the item at first, but finally relents when Bennie claims that he should continue to make films, because they bring Mitzi joy. Even so, Sam claims he is done making films.
In Northern California, the family are forced to stay in a rental home until the new home being built for them is completed. Eventually, Mitzi shocks the family when she buys a monkey and names it Bennie. Burt also notes that his wife seems more emotionally distraught than in the past, and requests she get therapy.
At his new school, Sam is targeted by two students named Logan (Sam Rechner) and Chad (Oakes Fegley). Of the two, Chad levies a series of anti-Semitic abuses at Sam.
When Sam catches Logan cheating on his girlfriend Claudia, Sam tells her, and the angered jock beats up Sam, demanding he tell her he lied. Sam refuses to tell his parents who assaulted him, and lashes out at his father for moving them to a place that he hates.
Sam then meets with Logan's girlfriend Claudia (Isabelle Kusmam), and her friend Monica (Chloe East). Claudia doesn't believe Sam when he says he lied, but upon finding out Sam is Jewish, Monica takes an interest in him. Though her devoutly-Christian lifestyle is a bit overwhelming to Sam, he finds himself hanging out with Monica, and even invites her to dinner with his family.
When his family tells of his filmmaking, Monica eagerly requests that Sam use his talents for the upcoming Senior Skip Day at the beach. Sam relents at first, but when Monica informs him that her father has access to a 16mm Arriflex that he can use, the young man willingly commits.
Finally, the Fabelmans' new house is complete, but it is soon afterwards that Burt and Mitzi announce their intentions to divorce, due to Mitzi's feelings towards Bennie. The news affects all of the kids emotionally, with Sam retreating to his room to finish editing the skip day film.
The film is soon finalized, and set to debut at the prom, where Sam takes Monica as his date.
During a slow-dance, Sam tells her he intends to find work in Hollywood, and asks Monica to marry him. She claims she can't do that, and even balks at Sam's claim that he loves her.
The moment is further fractured as Sam is called to present his film. Those watching are rapturous to what is shown.
However, Sam soon retreats to a nearby hallway, where he is found by Logan, who is emotionally incensed at how the film made him out to be some "golden boy." Sam claims he just wanted to make a good movie and be treated kindly, and the two reach an understanding.
The next morning, Sam and his mother have a conversation over breakfast. She says that much like how she cannot give up her love for Bennie, she tells Sam that he should not give up his love for filmmaking.
A year later, Sam and his father are living in an apartment, while Mitzi and the girls are living in Arizona with Bennie.
While he is still attending college, Sam claims he is considering dropping out. During a conversation, Burt laments that maybe he should have helped steer Sam down a more stable career path earlier in life, but reluctantly accepts his son's passion for filmmaking.
Sam has also been sending out letters to film and TV studios, and eventually gets a response from a network executive at CBS, who may be able to get Sam an assistant role on the show, "Hogan's Heroes."
Noting Sam's passion for filmmaking, the executive takes Sam to the office across from his, where Sam is shocked to find himself in the presence of western director, John Ford (David Lynch).
The grizzled director shares a few filmmaking tips with Sam, and the young man exits the building with a smile, and a spring in his step.
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