In Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley plays with the documentary format to explore the nature of memory and storytelling, crafting a thoughtful, compelling narrative that unfolds like a mystery. Read critic reviews
What to know
You might also like
See More
Standing Up, Falling Down
The Game Changers
Generational Sins
A Coffee in Berlin
A Band Called Death
Where to watch
Rate And Review
-
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
Stories We Tell Photos
Movie Info
Through a series of revealing interviews, filmmaker Sarah Polley investigates the truth about her family history.
-
Rating: PG-13 (Sexuality|Brief Strong Language|Smoking|Thematic Elements)
-
Genre: Documentary
-
Original Language: English
-
Director: Sarah Polley
-
Writer: Sarah Polley
-
Release Date (Theaters): limited
-
Release Date (Streaming):
-
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
-
Runtime:
-
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
-
Production Co: National Film Board of Canada
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for Stories We Tell
Critic Reviews for Stories We Tell
Audience Reviews for Stories We Tell
-
Polley surprises us with the brave and unreserved way that she exposes her family's secrets while trying to extract a meaning from her quest, even if she doesn't seem to know exactly how to end it, going a bit longer past what should have been its conclusion.
-
It's often said the simplest stories are often the most compelling when told the right way, and Stories We Tell is likely one of the most extraordinary films about family, love, choices and memories you'll see. Polley delicately unspools the tapestry of her mothers life through the stories from the friends and family who knew her, capturing the revelatory emotions and reactions without any hint of sensationalism, often through captured home video footage. It's perhaps too matter-of-fact at times, but the real treat is Polley's ability to seamlessly segue between the real and the fictional in her what she shows on screen interspersed with the memories being shared here. Her distorting of memory and fact is so subtle and presented so absorbingly that her ability to manipulate her own personal work and still tell the story she wants becomes even more intriguing as the film progresses. The result is a work of pure genius; deftly adhering to her own families uncertainty of Polley sharing her personal family story in this way, while still maintaining some of that mystery, as well as perhaps inadvertently making a statement on an audience's' willingness to take documentary form at face value. It would be easy to criticise Polley's cold unravelling of the facts here, and that she uses her own family drama as a foil for a grander discussion on the morality of choices, memories, truth and lies. But we all have stories to tell, and everyone comes away with a alternative perspective, which is what makes Stories We Tell such a fascinating journey from start to finish.
-
Quite dull, honestly. Who really cares that the mother had an affair and a child by another man which she passed off as her husband's? I'm sure it happens every day and not really of interest to anyone except the family involved. Certainly not enthralling viewing as the subject of a documentary. Even if it is from Sarah Polley's own life.
-
A thoughtful, intimate biography concerning one's family from director/actor Sarah Polley, specifically centering around her mother and whether or not her father was in fact her mother's husband. Polley takes a Rashoman-esque stance in how she portrays her family and the stories she has them tell, each sounding mostly familiar but each containing details not included in the other versions. The result is an enamoring documentary about identity, how family shapes us, and how memory holds up over time. It is genuinely surprising how utterly fascinating this movie is, but Polley always maintains the human element that makes this film so special, every answer she is able to get out of her family feels real and human, with members of her family proving to be honest and not afraid to hold very personal details back from the viewer. One of the best films of 2013.
Verified