Travis Lytle’s review published on Letterboxd:
Theme-rich and dazzling, Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans" is a completely enveloping tale of family and storytelling. About a young man and his drive to make movies, the drama is a lushly and sensitively told paean to film, love, and the odyssey that is life.
Based on its director's own life, Spielberg's drama finds young Sammy Fabelman entranced by filmmaking and beginning a life's journey toward becoming a filmmaker. There are obstacles along the way that make the journey painful, thrilling, and, ultimately, rewarding.
The story is layered. Its skin-deep focus is filmmaking; but, more deeply, the film sees its form as a means to control what alarms us, to observe or manufacture truth, and to stand as something that is not disposable. Moreover, the narrative examines love and family as a force the both motivates and gate-keeps.
Spielberg tells his story with an expertly executed visual charm and energy. Shot construction and shadows create a warmth, while edits imbue sequences with electricity. His cast is uniformly excellent, selling emotion, growth, and change with eyes, faces, and voices.
"The Fabelmans" is a delightful and rewarding drama. It is crafted with joy, love, and truth and makes its mark from its first sequence. Spielberg's film, with its correctly placed horizon, is easily one of 2022's very best.
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