Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee: Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans is an ode to cinema and life

Steven Speilberg is no stranger to the Oscar stage. He has won the golden statue three times and has been nominated 24 times. But his nomination at the 95th Academy Awards is being seen as most special. Spielberg and his film The Fabelmans have collectively fetched seven nominations at the Oscars 2023. Considering the film is loosely based on Speilberg's personal life and narrates the story of his growing up years, the film is his most personal work to date and a nod from the Academy gives it that stamp of approval to a personal project.

While the film is a personal story of Spielberg and his complex relationship with his parents who were very different personalities individually, The Fabelmans is also an ode to cinema. Whoever loves cinema will love The Fabelmans because it showcases the magic of the movies through the perspective of, first a little boy and then an adolescent who finds it as the best possible form of expression.

The Fabelmans has been nominated in seven categories- Best picture, director, actress, supporting actor, original score, original screenplay and production design. All deserving acknowledgments from the Academy and while the acting awards seem unlikely for the movie (not because they were good performances in the film but because there are other strong contenders), it is being touted to win the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar in March 12 ceremony.

The Fabelmans is Spielberg's story

The Fabelmans is semi-autobiographical and is based on Spielberg's younger days. It centers around Sammy Fabelmans who finds cinema as a coping mechanism to deal with his dysfunctional family and other people around him.

It stars Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy, alongside Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch in supporting roles. The film is dedicated to the memories of Spielberg's real-life parents, Leah Adler and Arnold Spielberg, who died in 2017 and 2020 respectively.

Spielberg had reportedly conceived the project as early as 1999, with his sister Anne writing a screenplay titled I'll Be Home. The project was withheld for 20 years since Spielberg had reservations about exploring his family's story and how it would affect his parents. Spielberg revisited the project in 2019 with screenwriter and frequent collaborator Kushner while they were making West Side Story, and the screenplay was completed in late 2020.

In WION's review, The Fabelmans was termed as Spielberg's career best. "The beauty of The Fabelmansis that even though it is talking about a person's love for cinema- a theme well explored in numerous films in the past- it never glorifies that passion. Perhaps because of its biographical nature, The Fabelmans allows the viewers to look at the passion for cinema through an objective lense, just like Burt," reads the review

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Michelle Williams' performance worth an Oscar

Michelle Williams plays Mitzy Fabelmans, which is based on Speilberg's mother. Williams is nominated in the Best Actress category and while her performance as the art-loving, slightly moody Mitzy touched a chord in every viewer's heart, it still stands less chance to earn her an Oscar as this year the strong contenders in this category is Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett.

Nevertheless, Williams'haunting portrayal won hearts all over and it made the viewers indulge in the moody Mitzy.

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