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The Fabelmans
Sammy Fabelman
Sammy Fabelman
Portrayed by: Gabriel LaBelle (teen), Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord (child)
A young aspiring filmmaker.- Ascended Fanboy: He was inspired by John Ford's films to created Gunsmog, his first movie. He then gets to meet the man himself at the end of the film.
- Author Avatar: Of the film's director Steven Spielberg.
- Camera Fiend: As a film enthusiast, he also develops a nerdy interest in cameras. He noticeably perks up when Monica mentions that her father has a 16mm Arriflex camera.
- Creator Breakdown: In-Universe, Sammy pours all of his frustrations and sadness over his parents' crumbling marriage into his war film. His direction for the lead actor gets a little too detailed and reflective of his current emotional state and even gets said actor Lost in Character as he gets genuinely torn up about his character's fictional failures.
- Meaningful Name: His surname is a reference to how the film and his existence is a fictionalized version of Steven Spielberg's childhood.
- Momma's Boy: While he loves his father, it's clear that Sammy is closer to his mom, who is much more encouraging of his dreams of being a filmmaker.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: He discovers Mitzi's affair with Bennie but keeps it under wraps until he reveals his knowledge to her.
Mitzi Fabelman
Burt Fabelman
Natalie Fabelman
Reggie Fabelman
Lisa Fabelman
Boris Podgorny
Sammy's High School
Logan Hall
Chad Thomas
Claudia Denning
Monica Sherwood
Others
Bennie Loewy
The Director (SPOILERS)
John Ford
Portrayed by: David Lynch
The greatest film director of all time.- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's pretty eccentric and doesn't have much tolerance for others in general but he is referred to as the greatest director working and his advice to Sam shows that he knows his stuff and watching any of Ford's films will show his status was very much deserved.
- Dirty Old Man: Ford enters the movie covered in lipstick.
- Famed In-Story: Is directly referred to as the greatest director of all time.
- Get Out!: Ford tells Sammy to get the fuck out of his office after giving him lessons in composition. But slyly returns Sammy's sincere thanks for the advice.
- Horrible Hollywood: Implied. He makes no pretensions about how Sammy might be eaten alive by the film industry.
- Insistent Terminology:
- Implied by him referring to film directors as "picture makers".
- When he questions Sammy about framing, he points out to the young man that he asked about art, not film.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He clearly wants Sammy out of his office as soon as possible, but he not only gives him practical advice on shot composition, he also expresses subtle concern about his chances in an otherwise cutthroat industry and sincerely wishes him well before he goes.
- Large Ham: He's pretty over the top as the real Ford was. David Lynch playing him is just the cherry on top.
- Simple, yet Awesome: His advice to Sammy? About how the horizon should never be in the exact middle of the shot. The final shot of the movie shows he knows what he's talking about and with this simple but effective artistic technique, Sammy now has a chance to make it as a great film director.
- Tough Love: Knowing how cutthroat the film industry is, he gives Sammy this treatment so the latter gets a taste of the experience.
