The Fabelmans trailer lets director Steven Spielberg take viewers on an intimate journey through his childhood via this semi-autobiographical work.

It follows the formative years of a young man who discovers a shattering family secret and movies become his way of coping with things. He tries to see the truth about others and himself through film, getting engrossed and increasingly passionate about the medium. The protagonist is enchanted by movies and how light changes how things appear. He seems to come from a family of artists and scientists but takes after his mother who has artistic sensibilities. 

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Later in the trailer, the protagonist has the choice of breaking her heart or continuing in the movies. All the while, the father figure, played by Paul Dano isn’t too encouraging even as we see the central character try to shoot a movie, seemingly about the war.

The Fabelmans is based on the director’s early years in Arizona, and he co-wrote the script with Lincoln and West Side Story screenwriting collaborator Tony Kushner. 

The Fabelmans premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and audiences gave the 75-year-old director a standing ovation. “75 years of life experience went into this”, the American director said, while introducing the movie. 

This is Spielberg’s return to the director’s seat after West Side Story, which wasn’t a box office hit but gained critical acclaim. The Fabelmans is set to arrive in select theatres on November 11, and everywhere on Thanksgiving. It will surely be a contender for the Oscars when the awards season comes around. 

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The official Twitter account of the film says “Movies are dreams that you never forget”, and apart from Dano, the cast includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten and Judd Hirsch. 

The 47th annual TIFF has impressive offerings including the much awaited Knives Out sequel from Rian Johnson.