Note: This article contains spoilers for the entirety of “The Fabelmans.”
Steven Spielberg’s latest film stays true to its cinematic themes of family and family drama that he’s covered throughout his career. But with “The Fabelmans,” the acclaimed filmmaker finally turns the focus on what has been portrayed through metaphor, subtext or theme in many of his previous films: his own life. The film explores Spielberg’s unconventional upbringing and entry into filmmaking through the eyes of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle).
Much of “The Fabelmans” revolves around Sammy’s life at home with his artistic mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams), engineer father Burt (Paul Dano) and three sisters, who he often enlists to act in his home movies.