‘The Fabelmans’ trailer: Get a first look at Steven Spielberg’s personal drama following its Toronto bow

Hours after Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night, Universal dropped the film’s first trailer to capitalize on the drama’s strong buzz.

“Movies are dreams that you never forget,” says Mitzi (played by Michelle Williams) to her son as the teaser begins. What follows are nostalgia-tinged images of 1960s life, where the film’s protagonist, Sammy (played by newcomer Gabriel LaBelle as an older teenager) navigates his goal of becoming a filmmaker amid his family’s personal struggles. Spielberg who co-wrote the drama with Tony Kushner, based the film on his own parents and their eventual divorce.

“This film is a way of bringing my mom and dad back,” Spielberg said at the film’s premiere this weekend. (His mother died in 2017; his father, to whom Spielberg dedicated “West Side Story,” died in 2020.) “And it also brought my sisters closer to me than I ever thought possible. That was worth making the film for.”

Early responses to “The Fabelmans” have been nothing short of effusive. The film – unlike many of its fellow awards contenders on the festival circuit – was blessed with universal acclaim in Toronto, a consensus that positions the Spielberg drama as the early Oscars frontrunner in Best Picture and Best Director. Williams is also considered a serious threat to win her first Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category.

“The Fabelmans” is out in limited release on November 11 before a wider drop on Thanksgiving. Watch the trailer below.

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