I saw a lot of films at Sundance this year, and wrote a ton of reviews, but one that I caught but didn't cover was Sarah Polley's documentary, Stories We Tell. It isn't due to the film not affecting me in any way, it's just something that needs to be seen more than once, and until I do a proper review can wait. It's a tough film to talk about without giving too much away, but it has the Canadian actress digging into her family's rather confusing history a little bit, and discovering some interesting secrets about her famous parents.
That's just where things begin, but the story begins to take a different shape as Polley interviews her brothers, sister, and family friends who all have different perspectives. It's a film that deals heavily with memory, and the way time and personal experience can change our recollection of events. My problem with it initially was that it was such a vanity project that unless you are completely into the lives of the Polley family it can seem like a pointless venture. At the beginning of the film, Polley's brother even wonders aloud why anybody else would care about their story.
But watching the newly released trailer, it reminds me of all the good things. Polley's family are all vivid, larger than life figures, and she goes to some real depths to expose some hard truths. Stories We Tell opens in New York on May 10th, before expanding on May 17th.
