Every family has its secrets -- that's a given. But we don't all choose to interrogate our own family members about those secrets and then air them to the world in a heady, eye-opening documentary. That's what filmmaker Sarah Polley has done with "Stories We Tell", a fascinating film that fuses styles into a unique maze of fact and fiction that slowly unfurls like a pulpy mystery novel. It's a poignant look at the complexity of memory, the rippling effects of departed loved ones, and the lasting power of storytelling.
The centerpiece of the film is the relationship between Polley's parents, Michael and Diane. Diane passed away from cancer when Sarah was a small child, so she mines her father and her siblings for memories of her. It's fascinating to see where different people's memories of the same person or event align, and where they deviate -- and why. Polley's interrogations are tender and fair, but also unflinching and deeply intimate. There is frank talk of sex, affairs, and other dirty laundry that most people would shy away from airing so flagrantly in public. It's a wonder that not only Polley herself was comfortable with this, but that she got the approval of the rest of her family. Good thing she did, though, because what results is a touching -- and genuinely shocking -- examination of a group of people whose issues are at once wholly personal and utterly familiar to anyone who watches the film.
Part of what makes "Stories We Tell" such a unique experience is that it wasn't put together by someone who had an expert grasp on a specialized subject, as most documentarians do. Polley almost seems to be making it up as she goes along, uncovering secrets in real-time, while the audience gets to view the whole experience through her eyes. This lends the film an organic feel that is unique to documentaries, which are usually crafted after lengthy research with specific goals in mind. Polley wasn't sure what her filming would lead to -- she wasn't even sure it would ever be finished -- and that sense of freeform experimentation makes "Stories We Tell" an excitingly fresh moviegoing experience.
Not everything is what it seems here. What starts as a gentle exploration of a fondly-remembered mother figure gradually evolves into a series of surprising revelations -- in both content and form -- that will make the viewer reexamine everything that has come before. It's the genius of Polley's storytelling that as these perspective-changing revelations emerge so casually, they may also make the viewer reexamine things they've taken for granted in their own lives. How well do you really know your own family? Sarah Polley discovered she didn't know her own as well as she thought. Do you?
"Stories We Tell" plays at The IFC Center: Sunday November 17 @ 11:00am with a special appearance by Sarah Polley.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_8BnZ471GY[/youtube]
