The Fabelmans
Movie, 2022, The 2020s, Set in A boy and a movie camera
The Fabelmans is #34 of 35 in release order and #34 of 35 in chronological order in the Steven Spielberg.
The story
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
The Fabelmans recap
The Fabelmans (2022) follows Sammy Fabelman, a boy who falls for filmmaking after his first trip to the cinema and watches his parents' marriage come apart. Steven Spielberg co-wrote the semi-autobiographical film with Tony Kushner, drawing on his own childhood. In 1952 New Jersey, young Sammy restages the train crash from The Greatest Show on Earth with his model trains and films it. His mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams) is a concert pianist turned homemaker, and his father Burt (Paul Dano) a computer engineer whose career moves them to Arizona, along with his best friend, 'Uncle' Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen). Teenage Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) makes war films with his Scout troop. His great-uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), a former lion tamer, visits and warns that art will tear him from his family. Editing camping-trip footage, Sammy sees his mother and Bennie in love. The Fabelmans comes after West Side Story and before Disclosure Day.
The Fabelmans ending explained
The Fabelmans ends with Sammy meeting John Ford. In California, Sammy is bullied for being Jewish and dates a devout Christian girl, Monica. His film of the senior beach day makes his chief tormentor, Logan, look like a hero, which shakes Logan more than any insult. His parents divorce and Mitzi goes to Bennie. A year later, while in college, Sammy gets a meeting with Ford (David Lynch), who gives him one lesson about horizons in a frame. Sammy walks off down the studio lot as the camera tilts to follow his advice.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Fabelmans has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Fabelmans
The Fabelmans is streaming on Peacock and Fandango at Home Free in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 92%
Where it fits
- Release order: after West Side Story, before Disclosure Day.
- Chronological order: after West Side Story, before Disclosure Day.
Cast
- Michelle Williams as Mitzi Fabelman
- Paul Dano as Burt Fabelman
- Seth Rogen as Benny Loewy
- Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman
- Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord as Younger Sammy Fabelman
- Keeley Karsten as Natalie Fabelman
- Alina Brace as Young Natalie Fabelman
- Julia Butters as Reggie Fabelman
- Birdie Borria as Younger Reggie Fabelman
- Judd Hirsch as Uncle Boris
- Sophia Kopera as Lisa Fabelman
- Jeannie Berlin as Hadassah Fabelman
Directed by Steven Spielberg.