The Fabelmans
November 23, 2022
Dimítri Limas
August 5, 2024
I watched "The Fabelmans" and it was wonderful to see Michelle Williams acting. She truly has an intrinsic warmth to her. Having seen her in so many roles, it's impossible not to feel that affection. Watching her act is like a balm for the eyes.
The soundtrack and photographic aesthetics of the film are impeccable. Sam is just too charming. It's incredible to see the world through his eyes. I expected more weight in his choices after the conversations we are shown—amazing dialogues and monologues. I hoped to see how these conversations changed him, how they affected him... But that definitely doesn't happen here. It's as if the art and beauty of the film are there for us, not for Sam himself.
The visit from the crazy uncle is a clear example of this for me because after an incredible monologue, nothing changed for him. Sam learns nothing as his life story progresses. He receives a visit from a crazy uncle, passionate about art, who followed his dream and is now the black sheep of the family, living with regret for his choices. And the final dialogue with his mother should have been the trigger, the wake-up call, the catalyst for his freedom, but it wasn’t. When she tells him, "We must do what our heart tells us, because no one owes their life to anyone, not even me," it's the clearest message he could receive that if his mother is leaving to pursue happiness, he should too. But he doesn't. He goes to a college he never wanted to attend, follows the steps laid out by his father, encounters another bully there, and runs away. He runs as much as he can, resolving no conflicts, neither with the bully, nor with the college, nor with his father. He needs to reach ultimatums to change.
Sam doesn't learn that in the feature film that is life, we are all actors and must play a role, and he doesn’t even seem to try to find a role. All he knows is to see the world through cameras.
It's a very beautiful film to watch, worth every minute, but there's always this bitter taste of Hollywood—the taste of stereotypes, infantilization, and the lack of layers in children and young people.
The soundtrack and photographic aesthetics of the film are impeccable. Sam is just too charming. It's incredible to see the world through his eyes. I expected more weight in his choices after the conversations we are shown—amazing dialogues and monologues. I hoped to see how these conversations changed him, how they affected him... But that definitely doesn't happen here. It's as if the art and beauty of the film are there for us, not for Sam himself.
The visit from the crazy uncle is a clear example of this for me because after an incredible monologue, nothing changed for him. Sam learns nothing as his life story progresses. He receives a visit from a crazy uncle, passionate about art, who followed his dream and is now the black sheep of the family, living with regret for his choices. And the final dialogue with his mother should have been the trigger, the wake-up call, the catalyst for his freedom, but it wasn’t. When she tells him, "We must do what our heart tells us, because no one owes their life to anyone, not even me," it's the clearest message he could receive that if his mother is leaving to pursue happiness, he should too. But he doesn't. He goes to a college he never wanted to attend, follows the steps laid out by his father, encounters another bully there, and runs away. He runs as much as he can, resolving no conflicts, neither with the bully, nor with the college, nor with his father. He needs to reach ultimatums to change.
Sam doesn't learn that in the feature film that is life, we are all actors and must play a role, and he doesn’t even seem to try to find a role. All he knows is to see the world through cameras.
It's a very beautiful film to watch, worth every minute, but there's always this bitter taste of Hollywood—the taste of stereotypes, infantilization, and the lack of layers in children and young people.