JEWISH WORLD

JEWISH WORLD • NOVEMBER 18-24, 2022 13 The two-and-a-half-hour picture zooms by, misdirecting at first to appear like a collection of remem- bered childhood episodes in the spirit of Federico Fellini’s “Ama- rcord” or Woody Allen’s “Radio Days.” It emerges out the other end not just an examination of storytell- ing, or even a celebration of it, but a solemnization. The film’s climax, a pretzel of conflicted emotion, positions young Sammy Fabelman becoming aware of his superpower: knowing how to think cinematical- ly, to express himself in images and editing. But he is still utterly per- plexed, even daunted, by this talent. And he is unable to predict how people will react to the magnitude of his work. Mind you, at this stage in his career he is only making home movies. But there’s a lot going on in his home. The older broth- er to three sisters, Sam (played at first as a wide-eyed boy by Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, then as a more self-assured and sharp teen by the terrific Gabriel LaBelle), is first to discover that there is discord in his parents’ marriage. His mov- ie camera is a microscope, and by examining the edges of the frame, he puts together that his mother (an astoundingly good Michelle By JORDAN HOFFMAN I n a recent interview with The HollywoodReporter, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner explained how the Fabelmans, the central fami- ly in Steven Spielberg’s new film, got their name.) “Spielberg means play-moun- tain,” Kushner said. “‘Spieler’ is an actor in Yiddish, and a ‘spiel’ can be speech or can be a play. I’ve always thought how wild that this guy is this great once-in-a-century storyteller who would be called Spielberg, play-mountain.” Continuing this thought, he swapped “spiel” with “fabel,” the German word for fable, which per- fectly describes how this memoir film from Steven Spielberg isn’t strict autobiography. It’s highly un- likely that a high school-aged genius promised someone that he’d forev- er keep something secret “unless I make a movie about it someday.” That would just be too perfect. “The Fabelmans,” which opened in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 11, rep- resents Kushner’s fourth collabora- tion with Spielberg — but the first time that the legendary director has taken a co-writing credit. Indeed, throughout his vast ca- reer, Spielberg has almost always delegated the business of getting the words on the page to someone else. But this time he isn’t focus- ing his camera outward to benign space aliens or an adventuresome archeologist, or even toward Nor- mandy Beach or Polish concentra- tion camps, but inward — not only to the peculiar history of his own family, but also to his growth as an artist and a person. It is a remark- able work of cinema, one of the best movies of the year, and unlike anything else in this innovator’s in- comparable career. Williams) and his “Uncle” Ben- ny (Seth Rogen) are very much in love. Moreover, his father (Paul Dano) remains unaware. What everyone else is aware of, however, is that Mom (Mitzi) is one of those larger-than-life people — a center of gravity who com- mands attention in whatever room (or around any campfire) she is in. It is a special type of woman that can inspire a child, later in life, to create a cinematic love letter even when, let’s get down to it, she did abandon her family to follow her dreams. It is also indicative of the level of maturity and nuance in this elegantly observed story. Inside Steven Spielberg’s Head His very Jewish memoir lm ‘The Fabelmans’ is one of his best It turns out one of the nest stories Spielberg had to tell was made by shooting what he sees in the mirror. FILM REVIEW Gabriel LaBelle, left, who plays Sammy Fabelman, and co-writer, producer, director Steven Spielberg on the set of “The Fabelmans.” continued on page 22 INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL: 4 Course Gourmet, Glatt Kosher Menus Just $99/PP* PRICE INCLUDES: On-Premise Parking, Full Menu (From Motzi To After-Dinner Mints!) & Waitstaff, All Table Linens & Tableware. For Available Dates & Information Please Call Mr. Baum at 516-871-8988 or 917-618-4384. *Tax & Gratuities not included. Planning a Small Event? ...Want It To Be A Cut Above? Welcome to Superior at the Bay In The Long Beach Jewish Center. The ideal destination for groups of up to 130 people.