miriamday-35605 'Stories We Tell' is Sarah Polley's beautiful evocation of the mother she lost as a child, told through the (sometimes contradictory) testimony of those who loved her. It is nonsensical to talk about 'a feminine aesthetic', what with us being half the human race and all. But this tender, subtle and generous film could only have been made by a woman - which is why it is such a pity that around 90% of the stories 'we' tell on film - and the mirror they offer of the world - are still made by men.

alextanischang What an incredible, fabulous and all the positive adjectives combined journey it is to watch such a beautifully done story Sarah Polley's family told.The movie is shocking but it shocked me in tender way, and tender myself immersed in for the entire movie. Polley tackled the story so proficiently and create a strong tense for it be remade into some kind of detective story, and isn't it so relating to our personal experiences, that we grew up, and discovered certain fragments which would fulfill a grandiose puzzle of our own family (and we just might not be able to finish it)).Heck, the point being, watch the movie, damn it.

eddie_baggins Sarah Polly's intimate and unique documentary Stories We Tell was one of last year's biggest festival and critical hits in the doco field with her fresh approach to telling a story using 8mm film to recreate the past and talking heads to tell the present hitting a chord with audiences. As one of the most critically acclaimed movies of last year hype for the movie remains strong and in that respect Stories We Tell is an overrated movie.To get the most out of Stories one must be wholly invested in the concerns of Polly's family and the eventual revelations that come forth from her questioning and investigating of the past but if your investment is minimal as I found mine was any emotional impact the film clearly has for many is dulled and therefore the film as a whole nothing more than a slightly intriguing piece of life in all its glories and in all its hidden secrets. It must be said however that the films early stages are quite promising and downright riveting it's not until revelations are made clear that the film starts to struggle and you get the sense this is more a film for Polly herself than we the watchers.It's nice that Polly chooses to air some very personnel and deep seeded emotions in the way of this film but one question's if what is being found out is of much benefit for someone not in the Polly family. Great documentaries like Searching for Sugarman or Dear Zachary work on emotional levels because what is being discovered as the film and participants go on is relatable in more large scale and universal ways, Stories showpiece just does not have the power to affect like this. The film also has a waft of self-importance that allows proceedings to sadly go in circles and length wise drag out to near two hours which with this format gets old fast.Being critical as I have been, Stories is still a movie that will appeal to many a wide ranging audience and for people that may have been through similar family circumstances a tale that will really hit home. For the rest of us though Stories sadly is one of last year's more overrated documentaries and in a genre that is consistently producing the goods it will be quickly forgotten in the wave of other quality entries.3 storytellers out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check out -www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com

Howard Schumann Produced in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, Canadian director Sarah Polley's documentary Stories We Tell is a tender and often moving inquiry into the life of her mother Diana who died in 1990 from cancer when Sarah was only eleven years old. Her investigation, consisting of interviews with her Toronto family members aided by Super-8 home movies (60% of which are recreated using look-alike actors), uncovers family secrets that slowly begin to be revealed during the course of the film. Sarah not only directs the movie but also conducts the interviews with the storytellers that include her father, siblings and half-siblings, and close friends of her mother who all share their memories of Diana and what she meant to them in their lives.Though Sarah does not share her own feelings or thoughts, she does acknowledge that her bond with Michael and her four siblings grew closer after her mother's death. Polley comes from a family closely associated with the theater. Her mother was an actress as was her father Michael, who narrates the story from his written account of his memories. Family members are asked to "tell the story from the beginning until now," and they relate their recollection of Diana and how she affected their lives, their stories filled with emotion and sometimes tears. As the storytellers go on, it becomes clear that Diana was a free spirit who was a more complex person than at first imagined.Everyone's memories of Diana and the details of her life are somewhat different but, on the whole, they complement each other, each providing one more piece of the puzzle. One interesting aspect of the story is the long term close relationship Diana had with film producer Harry Gulkin, a former union organizer and left-wing activist, and how the consequences of their affair strongly impacted Sarah's life. Though the film talks about their affair as one that stemmed from Michael's inability to satisfy Diana on many levels, we do not really know Diana's own thoughts and feelings on the subject.As far as Gulkin is concerned, he does share his point of view but lets it be known that he is uncomfortable in the context of the film and that he feels the story should be his alone to tell. Although it may go on a bit longer than necessary, Stories We Tell is never less than fascinating and is especially noteworthy for its refusal to engage in mawkishness or sentimentality. Though there are differences in interpretation among the storytellers, the fact that Sarah's family remains supportive of each other after all the years is a testament to their resilience and mutual respect.Stories We Tell underscores the point that it is difficult to separate what actually happened from the story we tell about it, our interpretation of the event. What is not said, however, is that over time, the story may become the only reality we know. When that happens, we no longer have a story, but we become our story, a position that severely limits our ability to grow. Perhaps the film's greatest contribution is to suggest a process that other families can use to look at how their interpretations often get in the way of acknowledging the simple truth of what happened and allow them to see events in their life from a broader perspective.