Stories We Tell (2013)

Canadian writer/director Sarah Polley
in her documentary, "Stories We Tell."

Sarah Polley’s “Stories We Tell” uses recollections and memory flashbacks to peel back the layers of a family, getting to know a little about the characters before deep secrets are slowly revealed. The movie, written and directed and also featuring the Canadian filmmaker herself, is a documentary that really surprises by sometimes working like a thriller.

The highly personal project—reportedly five years in the making—is an ambitious, inventive blend of documentary and filmed footage detailing Polley's quest to get to know her late mother, who died when she was 11, through a series of family interviews.

Polley’s father, Michael, plays a key role; also a writer, he provides a great deal of exposition and also some thoughtful voice-over narration during the film—sometimes appearing in a studio sound booth while Polley directs outside—reading from memoirs he later explains he was inspired to write during the making of the movie.

Along with accounts from two sisters and two brothers from a previous marriage, Polley reconstructs the tale of her mother, Diane, an actress, turned housewife, turned actress again, living in Toronto, who at one point leaves home for Montreal to act in a play. At a time when married life had grown stale, the opportunity to perform again was exciting.

It’s around this time when Diane becomes pregnant with Sarah (who was the youngest of the brood) and questions later surface as to whether Michael is the biological father. Still beautiful and vibrant at age 42, Diane attracted many friends in Montreal and there were affairs and secrets that she carried to the grave. One man in particular, the producer Harry Gulkin, emerges as possibly Sarah’s real father. This becomes the central mystery of the film. The director interviews Harry and they eventually develop a close friendship, as Polley continues to trace the strands of her past.

“Stories We Tell” functions like great investigative journalism—looking for leads, asking tough questions, checking facts, researching and relentlessly pursuing truth—combing through memories, painting a vivid portrait of the intricate stages of a family.

Out of pages from her own life, Polley has crafted a creative, intimate, enthralling piece of work. Moving and sometimes funny—with a great, jazzy score featuring standards like Fats Waller’s “Aint Misbehavin’”—the movie is a grand celebration of memories and human curiosity.