STORIES WE TELL

In her inspired, genre-twisting and deeply personal maiden voyage into documentary, Oscar-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley (AWAY FROM HER) investigates the secrets kept within a family of storytellers—her own family. She playfully interviews and interrogates her “cast of characters,” eliciting refreshingly candid (and mostly contradictory) answers to the same questions. Her characters relate their versions of the family mythology, and present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon and left 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 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.

“STORIES WE TELL is two or maybe three dangerous kinds of movies all at the same time, and handled so brilliantly that the result is a transformative, unforgettable work of art.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

Critics’ Pick: “STORIES WE TELL has a number of transparent virtues, including its humor and formal design, although its most admirable quality is the deep sense of personal ethics that frames Ms. Polley’s filmmaking choices.” – Manohla Dargis, New Times