Stories We Tell
Due September 3:
In this inspired new film, Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who’s telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story. An official selection of the Sundance, Toronto, Venice and Telluride film festivals and winner of Best Documentary at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, “Stories We Tell” is at its core a deeply personal film about the nature of truth and memory, and how personal narratives shape and define both individuals and families. Vitals: Director: Sarah Polley. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 108 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $1.243 million, Lionsgate. 
