In his new film, “The Fabelmans”, Steven Spielberg delivers a heartbreaking family drama. This semi-autobiographical story was premiered at the Lumière Festival in Lyon. AlloCiné was there.
Steven Spielberg needs no introduction. His name speaks for itself and each of his new films is an event. It is therefore no surprise that The Fabelmans, presented in preview at the Lumière Festival in Lyon, was sold out. AlloCiné attended the screening and shared his impressions of what will be one of the highlights of 2023.
After revisiting the Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins classic with West Side Story, the Hollywood rock star returns with his most intimate film. One who is inspired by his own life. In The Fabelmans, he explores his past through the character of Sam, a young boy whose devouring passion for cinema will help him overcome his fears and a family upheaval.
More vulnerable than ever, Steven Spielberg delivers a disarming semi-autobiographical story, without false note and in which he reveals many of his secrets. The opening sequence returns to its first cinematic shock. In front of The Greatest Show on Earth by Cecil B. DeMille, the future filmmaker is amazed. His obsession is such that he manages to recreate a pile-up scene with a miniature train.
Universal Pictures
From then on, Sam’s passion took shape, torn between his mother’s artistic sensibility and his father’s scientific mind. The aspiring director surrounds himself first with his sisters, then with his classmates to direct films inspired by John Ford’s greatest westerns. The teenager already stands out as a genius who overflows with crazy ideas – such as punching holes in film to create the illusion of a gunshot.
The Fabelmans is even more thrilling when it delves into the main character’s family history. When words struggle to come out, cinema becomes a tool to communicate and repair. It can also be a weapon to counter the anti-Semitic violence of which the hero is victim in the corridors of the school.
Universal Pictures
To embody his parents on screen, Steven Spielberg surrounds himself with Michelle Williams – grandiose – and Paul Dano. In the skin of Sam Fabelman, Gabriel LaBelle has the heavy task of interpreting a fictional version of the filmmaker. He delivers, with this leading role, a delicate and poignant interpretation. His face-to-face with David Lynch is one of the film’s most prodigious moments. A must see.
The Fabelmans, in theaters January 25, 2023.