This film is recommended.Michael and Diane were two very different people who fell in love. Both actors, Michael was quiet and introspective, a private person, while Diane was loud and out-going, always the life of the party.  They met, married, and raised a family. Their life story is on public display in Stories We Tell, a fascinating examination of family dynamics written and directed by their actress/director daughter, Sarah Polley. This investigative documentary uses the various viewpoints of family members and friends and their clouded memories of real events to create a cinematic tapestry of a dysfunctional family trying to come to terms with the actual truth of their family history. Through home movies that contrast the former images of the two lovers and candid interviews by their off-springs, Stories We Tell hones in on the life and death of their mother and the direct effect on all of its' family members. Diane's past transgressions and erratic decisions seemed to complicate everyone's life before and after her death, making many of the brothers and sisters question their own relationships with their parents. As with time, memory and reality blurs and the truth remains elusive. The past and present ultimately collide in this documentary of hidden affairs, divorce, and questionable paternity issues. As the filmmaker delves into her mother's mysterious past to find clear-cut answers, it takes a toll on each family member.Stories We Tell gets to be almost too personal in its message, relying on conjecture and here- say to form its narrative structure. The subject matter is always interesting but too limited in scope. On one hand, one almost feels voyeuristic in experiencing this film. Yet, the filmmaking is expertly assembled and must have been cathartic for some of the family and seen as an embarrassment by others. That said, Ms. Polley has made a well-crafted film with strong editing techniques, effectively blending the footage of the interviewees speaking movingly about the emotional damage cast upon them with the many happier family images that haunt their recollections. (Particularly ironic is the inclusion of a segment with Diane singing Ain't Misbehavin'.)  Stories We Tell tells its story very well. Whether you are interested in hearing it may be another story in itself. GRADE: BVisit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.comANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: [email protected]

I watched it knowing fairly little about the film. Sarah Polley is doing a documentary. Soon into it, the audience will realize it's a documentary about Sarah's own family. It takes awhile to set up. For the first 30 minutes, my take was this is a better-than-most home movies. Then there is the shock of what this movie is actually about.It is definitely a brave personal project for Sarah Polley. And it's important to not read any of the spoilers. It is possibly the most intriguing use of film recently. It makes you question the reality of her story, and given some personal reflection, it'll make you question the reality of your own story.

Produced in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, Canadian director Sarah Polley's documentary Stories We Tell is a tender and often moving inquiry into the life of her mother Diana who died in 1990 from cancer when Sarah was only eleven years old. Her investigation, consisting of interviews with her Toronto family members aided by Super-8 home movies (60% of which are recreated using look-alike actors), uncovers family secrets that slowly begin to be revealed during the course of the film. Sarah not only directs the movie but also conducts the interviews with the storytellers that include her father, siblings and half-siblings, and close friends of her mother who all share their memories of Diana and what she meant to them in their lives.Though Sarah does not share her own feelings or thoughts, she does acknowledge that her bond with Michael and her four siblings grew closer after her mother's death. Polley comes from a family closely associated with the theater. Her mother was an actress as was her father Michael, who narrates the story from his written account of his memories. Family members are asked to "tell the story from the beginning until now," and they relate their recollection of Diana and how she affected their lives, their stories filled with emotion and sometimes tears. As the storytellers go on, it becomes clear that Diana was a free spirit who was a more complex person than at first imagined.Everyone's memories of Diana and the details of her life are somewhat different but, on the whole, they complement each other, each providing one more piece of the puzzle. One interesting aspect of the story is the long term close relationship Diana had with film producer Harry Gulkin, a former union organizer and left-wing activist, and how the consequences of their affair strongly impacted Sarah's life. Though the film talks about their affair as one that stemmed from Michael's inability to satisfy Diana on many levels, we do not really know Diana's own thoughts and feelings on the subject.As far as Gulkin is concerned, he does share his point of view but lets it be known that he is uncomfortable in the context of the film and that he feels the story should be his alone to tell. Although it may go on a bit longer than necessary, Stories We Tell is never less than fascinating and is especially noteworthy for its refusal to engage in mawkishness or sentimentality. Though there are differences in interpretation among the storytellers, the fact that Sarah's family remains supportive of each other after all the years is a testament to their resilience and mutual respect.Stories We Tell underscores the point that it is difficult to separate what actually happened from the story we tell about it, our interpretation of the event. What is not said, however, is that over time, the story may become the only reality we know. When that happens, we no longer have a story, but we become our story, a position that severely limits our ability to grow. Perhaps the film's greatest contribution is to suggest a process that other families can use to look at how their interpretations often get in the way of acknowledging the simple truth of what happened and allow them to see events in their life from a broader perspective.

Intriguing, but not as emotionally overwhelming for the audience as it is for the storytellers. There is ever so palpable, cold detachment from the story's emotional spine. Maybe, it's because of the lack of perspective of the person who wanted this story to be out there- Sarah Polley herself. You can sense subtle reactions coming from her whenever she is on screen, for however little time, and build her point-of-view in your head. But that would be just another version of story in this baggage of different perspectives. Also, I would rather she hadn't filmed dramatized clips of real-life incidents and trust the audience's imagination.All that being said, it does not take away anything from the fact that "Stories We Tell" is a fascinating concept. If nothing else, it works as a brilliant think-piece on subjectivity of memories and distorted truth by different perspectives.