Stories We Tell(2012) Apr 2026

Sarah Polley’s is a groundbreaking autobiographical documentary that investigates the filmmaker's own family secrets and the elusive nature of truth. At its core, the film explores Polley’s discovery that the man who raised her, Michael Polley, was not her biological father—a revelation stemming from an affair her late mother, Diane, had while performing in a play in Montreal. The Quest for a Single Truth

: 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.

Polley uses a unique blend of real archival material and "faux" home video to challenge traditional documentary conventions. Stories We Tell(2012)

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.

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. Club noted that the film resonates as a

Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, "Stories We Tell" has been hailed as a masterwork of personal cinema.

: 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. The documentary is structured as an investigation where

: To fill the gaps where no footage existed, Polley filmed elaborate re-creations using Super-8 film. These sequences, featuring actors like Rebecca Jenkins as Diane, are so authentic that they are often indistinguishable from real family memories.