THE FABELMANS / ORDINARY PEOPLE

ABOUT THE FILMS:

THE FABELMANS, 2022, Universal, 151 mins, USA, Dir: Steven Spielberg.

A deeply personal portrait of a 20th century American childhood, Steven Spielberg’s THE FABELMANS is a cinematic memory of the forces, and family, that shaped the filmmaker’s life and career. A universal coming-of-age story about an isolated young man’s pursuit of his dreams, the film is an exploration of love, artistic ambition, sacrifice and the moments of discovery that allow us to see the truth about ourselves, and our parents, with clarity and compassion.

Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel Labelle) is devoted to filmmaking, an interest that is celebrated and championed by his artistic mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams). Sammy’s successful, scientific father, Burt (Paul Dano), supports Sammy’s work, but views it as an unserious hobby. Over the years, Sammy has become the de facto documentarian of his family’s adventures, as well as the director of his increasingly elaborate amateur film productions starring his sisters and friends. By 16, Sammy is both the primary observer and archivist of his family story, but when his family moves west and visits with his lion tamer and film worker uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), Sammy discovers a heartbreaking truth about his mother that will redefine their relationship and alter the future for himself and his entire family.

FORMAT: DCP

ORDINARY PEOPLE, 1980, Robert Redford, 124 MINUTES, PARAMOUNT, USA

ORDINARY PEOPLE, Robert Redford’s directorial debut based on the eponymous novel by Judith Guest, recounts the disintegration of an affluent family after the accidental death of their oldest son. Overcome with grief and guilt, the couple’s youngest son looks to his empathetic psychiatrist, played by Judd Hirsch, for guidance and survival.

FORMAT: DCP