The Story: Even as this scene from The Fabelmans was un-spooling in the theater, I knew I'd be featuring it in a Sunday Scene. The confrontation between Steven Spielberg's nom de guerre, Sammy Fabelman, and the goy bully who's been making his life miserable in High School may seem like a diversion, a bit wide of the point of his early education into the mysteries of film, but it couldn't be more essential.
Young Spielberg (sorry) Fabelman has had a crushing disappointment when his High School girl-friend kindly brushes off his proposal of marriage (which might be a reaction to his parents' separation with his need for a steady relationship—but I doubt it). But, his film presentation that night has been a rousing success...sort of.
Oh, the class loved it, by and large. But, one of those guys, the Big Dog, Logan Hall came off lionized, and his lap-dog, Chad Thomas—who got drunk that day and, left with no coat-tails to cling to, experienced a day of tipsy rejection—like a dork.
It was accurate to the day, but why did Fabelman do this and invite more potential scorn upon himself? He doesn't know the reason—but it made good stories! And Chad, "Mr. Jock", feels the need to confront the young film-maker about how he was presented on-screen, as he's grappling with a severe case of "imposter syndrome." And Fabelman is confronted with the ramifications of what he created—and what he creates. It's a moment of confusion and weakness for two guys who both thought they knew what they were doing, but realize they had no idea.
Sammy learns that once a film is "out there" it will be interpreted through the lens of the audience-member watching it...and he has no control over it. He can write, he can plan, he can manipulate, he can "auteur" to his heart's content, but what he's made will become something different in the mind of the watcher. Where, previously, Sammy could look at a piece of film and find truth that he might've missed, now, he can't even depend on that. Film, his vocation, his obsession will constantly be an unattainable chase to "get it right" and still run that risk of getting it all wrong once it hits corneas.
But, isn't that the risk every artist takes?
The risk of a beating is more tangible than a mere critical drubbing. But, to his surprise, Logan's reaction is more akin to grief. The bully wants to know why, what was his motivation? And Fabelman genuinely doesn't know, but his instinct was to make a good film, a crowd-pleaser, and despite the mutual loathing shared by the two boys, Logan's triumph fit the bill, feelings aside.
The only thing the two share is their mutual confusion...but that's enough to recognize each other's weaknesses (and strengths) to cross the line between mean-spirited vitriol and mean-spirited needling. The two arguments are similar...the only thing different is the perception: one's a threat and one's a meeting of minds. Both have seen each other at their weakest, But, now, there's a respect.
Prejudice exists in ignorance. It disappears with empathy and knowledge whether you know yourself or not.
The Set-Up: Young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), with a life-long fascination with film, celebrates with his graduating class at their prom, where he debuts the film he made of Senior Ditch Day (with a 16 mm camera!! Score!) It's a big night, especially since he planned to propose to his girl-friend (Chloe East). THAT didn't go well! But, the film-maker hasn't yet heard from "the critics"--the bullies (Sam Rechner and Oakes Fegley) that have been harassing him all school-year.
Action.
A hallway, somewhere in the school. Sammy is sitting on the
floor, back to a wall of lockers, knees drawn up, head down,
the crucifix still dangling from his clenched hand.
He keeps
his head down as he hears footsteps coming down the hall,
then stopping in front of him.
Sammy doesn’t look up.
LOGAN (O.S.)
Why’d you do that?!
Sammy looks up. Logan is there, agitated, perplexed, angry,
suspicious, maybe even afraid. He glares at Sammy, not
knowing what to say next. Sammy waits, then:
SAMMY
What?
LOGAN
Why’d you make me look like that?!
SAMMY
In the film?
LOGAN
YES IN THE FILM!!
He slams his fist, hard, right into the locker above Sammy’s
head. Sammy cringes. The loud BOOM!! and the rattling
adjoining lockers echo down the hall. Logan grabs his hand,
dancing around in pain.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
OOWWWWWWWWWW SHIT SHIT!!!
LOGAN (to Sammy:)
What’s the matter with you?! I’ve
been a, a total asshole to you!
LOGAN I
broke your nose! And, and then -
SAMMY
You didn’t break my nose, you
almost did but you didn’t
break it-
LOGAN (CONT’D)
- then you go and make me
look like like that!? What’s
wrong with you?!
SAMMY (CONT’D)
Logan. All I did was hold the
camera and it saw what it saw -
LOGAN
BULLSHIT, Fabelman, you made me
look like,
LOGAN like this golden kind
of... THING!
SAMMY
Yeah?
LOGAN
And Claudia!? She just kissed me!
SAMMY
(grim, almost to himself:)
Mazeltov.
LOGAN
In front of the whole school -
LOGAN I treat her shittier than I
treat you, and now -
SAMMY (CONT’D)
(he’s had enough of
this!)
OK great! You’re welcome,
man!
SAMMY Jesus Ch -
He gets up and starts to walk away.
Logan blocks him.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
Hey wait, don’t go. Don’t go.
Sammy stops.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
I wanna know why you did that.
SAMMY
I don’t know, I oughta have my head
examined.
LOGAN
Am I supposed to feel bad now about
all that shit we did to you?
SAMMY
DO you feel bad about it -?
LOGAN
That’s none of your goddamn
business!
SAMMY
Because you should feel bad about
it!
LOGAN
Alright! That’s why you did it!!
LOGAN You want me to feel like crap -
SAMMY
I wanted you to be nice to me for
five minutes,
SAMMY or - I did it to make
my movie better! I don’t know why.
SAMMY You are the biggest jerk I have
ever met in my entire life,
SAMMY I HAVE
A MONKEY AT HOME THAT’S SMARTER
THAN YOU,
SAMMY you dumb anti-Semitic
ASSHOLE.
SAMMY I made you look like you
can fly!!
LOGAN
BUT I CAN’T FLY!! I CAN OUTRUN ANY
GUY IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, AND I
WORKED REAL HARD TO DO THAT!
LOGAN But
you, you make me feel like I’m some
kinda failure or a phony or, or
like I’m supposed to be some guy
I’m never gonna be,
LOGAN not even in my
dreams -
LOGAN YOU TOOK THAT GUY WHOEVER
HE IS WHEREVER YOU GOT HIM FROM AND YOU PUT HIM UP THERE ON THAT SCREEN
AND TOLD EVERYONE, EVERYONE THAT
THAT’S ME!!
LOGAN AND THAT’S NOT ME!!
THAT’S - IT’S -
Logan stops, shaking, trying to control himself, but a loud
sob rises up from deep inside him,
and to his and Sammy’s
horror, he starts to cry.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
Goddamn it, goddamn...
Logan sits on the floor, his back against the lockers,
cradling his head, crying.
Sammy stares at him, flummoxed.
SAMMY
Jesus, it wasn’t supposed to make
you... upset.
SAMMY I didn’t mean to
freak you out, I didn’t mean to -
LOGAN
Who cares what you meant?
CHAD (O.S.)
FABELMAN!!
Sammy and Logan turn to see Chad charging towards them.
Logan
hurriedly wipes his eyes and starts to stand.
SAMMY
Oh shit.
CHAD
YOU LIAR, YOU BACKSTABBING LIAR!!
CHAD I’M GONNA BEAT YOUR GOD -!!
Chad lunges at Sammy;
he’s stopped, mid-lunge, by Logan,
who
grabs his jacket,
violently pulls him back,
then punches Chad
in the face,
slamming him into the lockers
and down to the
floor.
Chad lies there, blinking, nose and mouth bleeding,
unable to move;
Logan stands over him, fists at the ready.
Chad pushes himself into a sitting position and spits a big
gob of red in Sammy’s direction.
CHAD (CONT’D)
(to Logan:)
You totally bought it. His whole
snow job, you ate it up. You moron.
Logan hauls him to his feet by his jacket.
CHAD (CONT’D)
Logan, you are so conceited...
CHAD ...and
dumb.
Logan spins Chad 180 degrees
and kicks him, hard,
sending him
to his knees.
Chad crawls away on all fours till he’s a safe
distance from Logan.
Then he scrambles to his feet
and
staggers, fast he can, down the hall;
he rounds the corner
and he’s gone.
Logan turns around,
breathing hard,
still in a fighting mood.
Sammy, alarmed, asks, very very nervously:
SAMMY
Is something about to happen?
LOGAN
You like living dangerously,
Fabelman.
SAMMY
No I don’t, I really, really don’t-
LOGAN
Yes you do. But you tell anybody
about me getting, um,
LOGAN
...upset? That
would be a mistake.
Sammy nods.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
Our secret, OK?
SAMMY
Definitely.
Logan starts away
and Sammy, smiling, can’t resist -
SAMMY (CONT’D)
Unless I make a movie about it.
Logan’s face hardens and he turns back, scary.
SAMMY (CONT’D)
Which I’m never ever gonna do.
A beat,
then Logan grins
and takes a joint and a cigarette
lighter out of his jacket pocket.
He lights up,
takes a toke,
then holds the joint out to Sammy.
Sammy hesitates,
then
takes it.
He looks at it suspiciously.
Logan laughs.
LOGAN
You never...?
SAMMY
What’s it like?
LOGAN
It kinda shows you how outta
control everything is,
LOGAN ...and how
you’re not in charge of anything,
LOGAN ...and how it doesn’t matter.
Sammy waits a second, looking at Logan.
SAMMY
I better not.
SAMMY (shrugging:)
In my head everything’s already out
of control.
Logan gives Sammy an appraising look.
LOGAN
You’re fulla shit.
Sam snorts a laugh. Logan takes back the joint.
LOGAN (CONT’D)
I gotta split. Claudia’s waiting
for me.
Smoking, Logan walks down the hall.
Then he turns:
LOGAN (CONT’D)
Life’s nothing like the movies,
Fabelman.
SAMMY
Maybe not.
SAMMY But, hey, in the end?
You got the girl.
Logan gives Sammy the finger.
Sammy returns the gesture.
Logan turns and, rounding the corner, disappears.
Sammy’s alone.
He sits on the floor heavily, baffled,
excited, sad, overwhelmed.
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