When the horizon is at the top, it’s interesting. When it’s on the bottom, it’s interesting. When it’s in the middle, it’s boring as shit! Got it?

First time watching.

Odeon Luxe. 

* Road to the Oscars 2023

+ After being entranced by Cecil B. DeMille’s ‘The greatest show on Earth’ during his first visit to a movie theatre, young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan/Gabriel LaBelle) aspires to become an filmmaker by making ambitious home movies. However, during the process of growing older and with an life-changing family secret hidden in plain sight which puts an strain on family ties, Sammy will have to believe through the power of his camera lenses to help pursue his dream of being an storyteller.

Everybody who is an movie lover, people who use this app or for the general audience, we all have an origin story - that one particular moment where we just fell into this trance of understanding the power and most importantly, the magic that films holds. For our grandparents seeing the early talkies or taking our parents and where our parents would take us, it could have been rightly so to describe that first experience as ‘the greatest show on Earth’, where you watch in horror then mouth-agape fascination to see these moving images happening right in front of us on a big screen. It could be an massive train crash which unfolds right in front of you and not having seen anything like that before. You know it’s just fantasy, but being in awe on how they were able to capture that specific moment. Did the film trick us into actually believing it was real? Soon after the film ends and your debating with those who took you if it was exciting or scary and have nothing to say - apart from one thing being all ebullient jumping on your bed: “I want my own train set” as you need to recapture that one moment over and over again and just be able to have that crash being replayed in your head over and over and over.

That paragraph above is Steven Spielberg’s own origin story and that is how he chooses to start his most personal film to date in ‘The Fabelmans’. America’s last true great classicist (ok maybe tied with Scorsese) has been able to turn in his most shocking modern movie of his career. An semi-biographical film that is loosely based on Spielberg’s actual childhood written by the man himself. In fact, what Spielberg turned the script into is actually such an haunting insight of this icon’s childhood as he takes his love for cinema to be used as therapy for his parent’s divorce. No one can be confidentially called the hero of the story nor can anyone be called the villain. It is to manipulate reality in order to help softening and sanitised our worst memories into an cloud of comfort so we’re able to finally feel in control of the uncontrollable. All origins are different but the path that it takes you on remains the same.

This works on so many levels because there is such an distance from Spielberg’s early years (obviously) but now with all the different stories he has told over the decades and how each one is different and how they have impacted us, so he can now fully tell this story with an eye on the truth showing that all families have different complex day to day issues that they have to deal with. All are equal-complicated truths. Obviously with this being an semi-biography, Spielberg had to write Sammy with obvious similarities, and probably the hardest part is to cast someone who you want to play an younger version of yourself. I believe that Spielberg made the best casting choice by hiring Gabriel LaBelle. You can tell he had all the right Spielberg qualities at the right moments. He is fantastic!! Scenes where he is either making films, editing films, or having arguments, everything just felt natural with his performance and Spielberg should be proud of that young man for taking on an impossible challenge and succeeding. And I would have voted for him to get an best actor nomination, just saying...

When you dig through Spielberg’s filmography, he really does put his family life into his works especially daddy issues. The reason why I wrote that sentence is to talk about Paul Dano who plays Burt Fabelman. He nails the loving but tightly dynamic of being an devoted Father who only wants what’s best for his family by consistently relocating jobs to support them in any way possible by being almost like an ostrich having his head buried under sand as he is constantly absorbed with work. He does support his son’s movie making dreams but in an different way. I’m shocked that Dano was not nominated for any Oscars. Hell even an best supporting actor nom would have been awesome to see, but they decided to go down an different path. #justiceforpauldano .

That different path was with nominating Judd Hirsch who played Uncle Boris and is in only an few scenes, but has one absolute show stealer scene which alone is Oscar worthy. But I still would have nominated Paul. It just felt more natural if Paul Dano got the nomination over Judd Hirsch.

It’s seems that Spielberg had an better relationship with his Mother which shows in the film as Michelle Williams plays the artistic piano playing Mitzi Fabelman who is the more supporting parent who wants Sam to fully achieve his film making dreams. Williams plays the role that could have been easily reduced to an sanctified denied artist extraordinarily well. It’s the balancing act in order to capture a woman who can at once to give every ounce of herself towards her children while hinting at any regret of marriage and motherhood robbing her of being an professional musician. The way that she does without ever letting Mitzi feel any sort of resentfulness is just marvellous to watch. Just like Gabriel LaBelle, Spielberg should be proud of everyone who played his fictional family. I could see why he cried on set…

It great to see Seth Rogen going for more dramatic roles post his raunchy comedies co-starring James Franco stint. I enjoyed his performance as “uncle” Benny Loewy. He wasn’t overbearing and honestly wasn’t underused, I thought he had the right amount of screen-time for his role size.

When you are talking about having “the greatest show on Earth’, yeah you can have the best acting talents that is out there right now, but also people will want to discuss all the technical aspects that helped them to have an unbelievable experience. So firstly I want to mention the legend that is John Williams who has been by Spielberg’s side since his debut into directing and who will be for as long as possible. The score here feels like pure John Williams. This is more like his lesser bombastic scores. It’s just a constant pleasure to listen to any of his scores through the cinema speakers. Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, another frequent Spielberg collaborator, puts his traditional Spielberg look into conversation again which are the white glossy and lit up backgrounds. It does separate his works from any other cinematographer working. How he didn’t nominated is well beyond me. The costumes should get an shout out as well the overall production.

My takeaway from the film is that he isn’t an pure artist or technician, in fact he is an hybrid of both of his parents. The Father had the hard work ethic and having his Mother’s emotional sensitivity. He is an success for these reasons as being an post-war child who was able to take advantage and even Spielberg himself knows this. At the end of the day he is just an human being like me or you whose reading this, and he just wants to put out such an loving portrait of his parents who both come and carry their own flaws, they are not perfect human beings but Spielberg is where he’s at right now due to being an hybrid of his parents and generously shows that we can take our lives and turn them into whatever you want, it will be known as art.

Michelle Williams asks an question at the start of the film - “what was your favourite part?” My response would be every single second. This is phenomenal filmmaking from the best director in the industry.

If Spielberg decided to retire from filmmaking, this would be the most perfect farewell…

🎥🎥🎥

2023: boxd.it/kBxn8
Spielberg: boxd.it/5aWcg
Top 100: boxd.it/55aA0