In 'The Fabelmans' Steven Spielberg tells his personal story (TIFF review)
Steven Spielberg gets very personal in this biopic about growing up in Arizona and eventually moving to Hollywood.
Director Steven Spielberg figured the covid lockdown was the perfect time to get together with his longtime writer Tony Kushner and work on telling his own story. A story that he describes as a psychological journey about his young self and dealing with the traumas he endured.
We start with his first film experience. One that would blow him away and almost traumatize him. Exploding railway carts leave such an impression on him, his mother gets the idea for him to recreate them with miniature carts and filming it with his dads camera. That way he can rewatch the scene and eventually it won't be as scary.
Soon he finds himself creating more and more home made movies with special effects, using his sisters and friends as cast and crew.
During the Q&A Spielberg talked about recreating these short films but also improving them, slightly embarrassed with the quality of this impressive work he shot when he was only 16 years old.
The careless early years quickly make place for a more serious tone though. Without spoiling too much, he uncovers things about his family in his film recording he rather hadn't.
Meanwhile, his father is making a career as a computer scientist and eventually the family moves to California so he can do work for General Electric.
This is where his artistic mother really starts to break down. A life event that visibly takes a huge toll on the whole family.
The Fabelmans is a crafty retelling of the journey Spielberg took to become a filmmaker. One that was partly based on coincidentally being able to make films from a very early age and being in the right place. But also his undeniable love for the artform that was there from the minute he saw his first film.
Combining the history of his family and the traumas they had to get through together, it makes for a memorable journey, if not only for the fact that it's told by the man who experienced it all himself. A man who also just happens to be one of the greatest storytellers of our era.
'The Fabelmans' had its world premiere at #TIFF22 and will have its US theatrical release November 11th, 2022.
