Sammy Fabelman is eight when he discovers the power of the movies. It is 1952 and his parents take him to see Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth. Sammy is especially fascinated by the train crash scene and recreates it with his model railroad. Encouraged by his artistically inclined mother, he starts filming it with his father’s 8mm movie camera. He then stages little movies around the house, first using his three younger sisters and later, after the family moves to Arizona, the members of his Boy Scout troupe. But home movies made during a camping trip trigger a crisis in the family. The footage reveals a secret connection between Sammy’s mother and his father Burt’s business partner and friend … Alongside a narrative of Spielberg’s youth, which included anti-Semitic hostility and his parents’ divorce, the film weaves a tale about the magic power of movies and the source of his art within his own family. The Fabelmans is a highly personal film, with adages from Sammy’s Uncle Boris, a lion tamer and film veteran, reverberating with as much force as advice from John Ford. But the most powerful truism comes from Sammy’s mother: “Movies are dreams that you never forget”.
by Steven Spielberg
with Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Chloe East, Julia Butters, Sam Rechner, Judd Hirsch, Keeley Karsten, Mateo Zoryan Francis-Deford, Oakes Fegley, Birdie Borria, Sophia Kopera, Alina Brace, David Lynch, Nicolas Cantu
USA 2022 English 151’ Colour Rating R12

With

  • Gabriel LaBelle
  • Michelle Williams
  • Paul Dano
  • Seth Rogen
  • Chloe East
  • Julia Butters
  • Sam Rechner
  • Judd Hirsch
  • Keeley Karsten
  • Mateo Zoryan Francis-Deford
  • Oakes Fegley
  • Birdie Borria
  • Sophia Kopera
  • Alina Brace
  • David Lynch
  • Nicolas Cantu

Crew

Director Steven Spielberg
Screenplay Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner
Cinematography Janusz Kaminski
Editing Michael Kahn, Sarah Broshar
Music John Williams
Production Design Rick Carter
Costumes Mark Bridges
Producers Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

Produced by

Universal Pictures

Amblin Entertainment

Reliance Entertainment

Additional information

DCP: Universal Pictures International Germany