"The Fabelmans" is Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiograpical origin story about his youth, love of filmmaking, the joys and trials of family, and the increasing complexities of life on the trip from childhood to maturity.

The film opens in the 1950s with the parents of Spielberg's stand-in, "Sammy", taking their child to his first cinematic outing, an experience which delights, but also triggers his latent fears and anxieties.

His intuitive mother discerns his underlying psychology, and offers him a home movie camera as a tool to help manage his fears, and it quickly becomes his means of documenting and enhancing the joys of childhood. His father, a steady and practical scientist, is dismissive of the interest as mere hobby, but his mother, an artistic and passionate pianist, comprehends and sympathizes with her child's creative bent.

Sammy rapidly develops skill in his creative outlet, using this "hobby" to explore his rapidly expanding adolescent world, but soon his exploration leads to an insight that shakes the foundations of his young life. He must deal with this while also learning to navigate the increasing complexities of approaching adulthood.

The moral of this "fable" seems to be that real life is never ideal. It's often more complicated, painful, and prone to broken dreams than we ever expect as children, but we each have gifts which can bless others. Though Sammy's childhood wasn't in all respects what he may have hoped, he finds that through his imagination and artistry in visual storytelling he can offer an audience a well told tale, and at least within that realm ensure a happy ending.

A thoughtful, engaging, and at times humorous ode to Spielberg's own youth, this well written, acted, and directed film falls short of being "great", but nonetheless satisfies and is well worth viewing. 7/10.