How The Fabelmans, a box-office bomb in the US, became an instant classic in France

French critics have hailed Steven Spielberg’s belated coming-of-age movie as a “magisterial” and “Truffaldian” masterwork.

By David Sexton

Last weekend I went to see Steven Spielberg’s hugely praised new film, The Fabelmans, nominated in seven categories for the Oscars that are coming up this weekend, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Unexpectedly, just before the film began, Spielberg himself popped up on the screen to thank us for coming out to the cinema to see this love letter to his family, that’s also a love letter to cinema, “the most personal film that I’ve made”. He wished us all a good evening.