Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, "Stories We Tell" has been hailed as a masterwork of personal cinema.
Polley later won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for her 2022 film Women Talking , further cementing her status as a premiere voice in modern storytelling. Stories We Tell(2012)
: While deeply personal, critics at The Hollywood Reporter and The A.V. Club noted that the film resonates as a universal meditation on how families define themselves through the stories they inherit. Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival,
: The film highlights how each person’s version of the past is shaped by their own perspective, suggesting that "truth" is often ephemeral and subjective. Club noted that the film resonates as a
: The film is as much about how we tell stories as it is about the story itself. Polley includes shots of herself directing the interviews and her father in the recording booth, emphasizing the artifice involved in constructing any narrative. Critical Legacy and Themes
The documentary is structured as an investigation where Polley interviews her siblings, her father Michael, and friends of her mother to piece together Diane’s life. Diane passed away from cancer when Sarah was only 11, leaving behind a legacy of vibrant energy and hidden layers.
: Through her research, Polley identifies her biological father as Harry Gulkin , a film producer she eventually meets and forms a friendship with.