It is undoubtedly true that every family has its own story to tell but few of them will be as compelling as the one told in this third feature from acclaimed director Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Take This Waltz). In this very personal documentary, Polley trawls through the history of her own family to tell a story that has far reaching consequences for Polley and those closest to her.
Polley grew up in Canada with her brothers, sisters and actor parents, Michael and Diane. Diane died of cancer when Sarah was still young, leaving her in the care of Michael. Some years later, a casual remark about how Sarah doesn’t resemble her father, leads her into an exploration of her mother’s life that will turn up some long-hidden family secrets.
To say that the film is about Polley’s search for her true identity would be too simplistic, for Stories We Tell has a wonderfully elusive quality that perfectly captures the conflicting nature of shared family memories. Initially, the film tells the story of Diane and is dominated by her presence. Footage of her playfully speaking a version of 'Ain’t Misbehavin' perfectly captures the vivacious, magnetic personality described by those who knew her. What soon becomes clear though, with each interview and piece of footage, is that nobody knew the whole truth about Diane. Slowly, the course of the film changes as memories conflict and secrets are revealed.
In this way, Stories We Tell is a film about more than one family; it becomes a meditation on the nature of storytelling itself and how the same event can be remembered in different ways by different people. Ultimately though, no matter how many points of view are collected, Polley will become the author. As her father Michael points out, the decisions she will make in the editing room will ultimately shape the recollections of her family members into something different.
Stories We Tell is a compelling watch but also a brave achievement for Polley. It gives great insight into the nature of storytelling but also paints a poignant portrait of a complicated, loving family of storytellers.