The amazing Sarah Polley continues her directorial hot streak (Away From Her, Take This Waltz) with this introspective look at her own origins.
Polley mixes archival footage, new interviews, and well-done home-video re-enactments to tell the story of her mother, the father who raised her, and her birth dad. It’s fun—and a little shocking—to find out about Polley’s dad, and the events that led to her birth.
Michael Polley, the man who raised Sarah, provides wonderful narrative from a memoir he wrote himself; other major contributors include Sarah’s sisters and brother. It wasn’t until the movie was almost half over that I realized some of the archival video sequences were re-enactments. For a change, somebody has done re-enactments for a documentary that fit.
Polley is one of the more gifted filmmakers going today. (If you haven’t seen Away From Her, see it now!) This will surely be one of the year’s best documentaries.
Stories We Tell is now playing at the Cinemas Palme d’Or, 72480 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-779-0430.
