Best Supporting Actor 2022: Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans

Judd Hirsch received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Boris Schildkraut in The Fabelmans. 

Judd Hirsch after over 40 years returns to another Oscar nomination, holding a simple truth a suppose, never count an actor out, until they're truly out. Furthering this point all the more was his trajectory in this Oscar race where he missed out in most of the precursors only to show up in the end over his co-star, in a very small role, appearing in less than ten minutes of the film, in a total of 4 scenes, two which are just him getting out and getting in a car. My review here primarily is looking at his other two scenes, well other than his physical performance even his entrance and exit are worth mentioning, though more on that in a bit. Hirsch comes in as the great uncle of Steven Spielberg's surrogate (Sammy) after Sammy's grandmother has died, and he's come to pay his respects. Despite being regarded as some banshee by Sammy's mother, there doesn't seem to be anything too scary about this elderly Jewish man who wishes to see his extended family. The one thing that does seem notable is that Judd Hirsch, despite being in his late eighties, has no lack of energy as a performer, in fact, his energy is almost overflowing. Hirsch is playing here a specific, well-documented in film, type of elderly Jewish family member who has his slang, has his methods of speaking, and has his whole manner that is distinctly that. A potentially very tired role if you step wrong even a little bit, Hirsch's performance though so owns this idea that he just seems to have mastered the bit, to become the bit and transcend the bit. Hirsch is that in his particular timbre in his voice, his exact accent and his exact articulation that has been seen before even by Hirsch (Independence Day), however few times better than right here. Hirsch runs with it, really sings with it as the character explains his whole backstory in rapid-fire delivery, and discusses his history as a lion tamer and member of film production, while also commenting on his annoyance of sister, without missing a beat. Hirsch not missing a beat is the key to it as he overflows with the energy of the performance, and there is a joy in this performance that is hard not to find endearing if not even a bit entrancing. The real meat of his performance is as shares a bedroom with Sammy for the night and he discusses quite openly a key theme of the piece. That is the love of art even when it comes at the cost of family, Hirsch's Boris is a man who sought out his dream regardless and lives it as he does. Before I get to the big, take a moment for the small which is a reason why I do have great affection for this performance, and maybe less so for a performance that plays the closest family to this character of a similar ilk. Hirsch's performance isn't one-sided as big as it is and as much as he's an isolated supernova. In the dinner scene, and in the bedroom scene, Hirsch does take the time and finds the nuance in the reaction of Boris taking in his great grand nephew, sizing him up, and figuring him out. These are brief moments but they are there and essential to finding just enough ballast for this performance. Because then Hirsch goes big and broad, however broad befitting an eccentric Jewish man who made his living by sticking his head in the mouth of a lion. The man loves performing and that comes out in Hirsch's full-bodied work. And full-bodied it is as you get no sense of his age by the amount of fire and passion that is in each movement, of someone who is so filled with the life of artistry that he is expressing and really life itself that he just can't even hold it in. Hirsch expresses that very particular life in a man who has to express himself as such and does so with a real dynamic power. Hirsch is engaging for every second of it and articulates I think the potentially more corny speech, with a real sense of the fierce emotion about it. I love particularly his kind of almost pestering way about it, as much as it isn't quite supportive, almost rather he has a certain interrogating quality in his voice as he prods Sammy. He accuses him of artistry and forces Sammy to recognize that in himself. That is summarized perfectly in Hirsch's final moment, just a single point to Sammy as he leaves, that is a direct statement without a word and Hirsch says it all at that point. With a little more in any moment, I might've hated this performance and the idea of the character. Hirsch for me though just hits the right stream of an entertaining larger than life intensity that makes so powerfully and quickly makes his firm statement then makes his egress.