Stories We Tell (2012)

Stories We Tell (2012) (Blu-Ray) (*)

$29.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Sundance Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
Venice Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( DTS 5.1 )
English ( DTS-HD Master Audio )
German ( DTS 5.1 )
German ( DTS-HD Master Audio )
German ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
109 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2012 and produced in:
Canada ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Sarah Polley

Written By:
Sarah Polley

Actors:
Pixie Bigelow ..... Herself
Lani Billard ..... Suzy Buchan
Deirdre Bowen ..... Herself
Geoffrey Bowes ..... Himself
John Buchan ..... Himself
Susy Buchan ..... Herself
Tom Butler ..... Himself
Jeanie Calleja ..... Victoria Mitchell
Andrew Church ..... Geoffrey Bowes
Kristen Corvers ..... Deirdre Bowen
Wayne Curnew ..... Garbage Collector
James Downing ..... Mort Ransen
Peter Evans ..... Michael Polley
Tracey Ferencz ..... Aunt Shelia
Justin Goodhand ..... John Buchan
Kaylin Griffin ..... Joanna Polley (age 8)
Cathy Gulkin ..... Herself
Harry Gulkin ..... Himself
Eric Hanson ..... Mark Polley (age 11)
Alex Hatz ..... Harry Gulkin
Thomas Hauff ..... Actor (The Caretaker)
Christine Horne ..... Anne Tait
Rebecca Jenkins ..... Diane Polley
Dave Kiner ..... Wayne Robson
Allie MacDonald ..... Joanna Polley
Robert Macmillan ..... Himself
Jef Mallory ..... Tom Butler
Victoria Mitchell ..... Herself
Seamus Morrison ..... Mark Polley
Marie Murphy ..... Herself
Mairtin O'Carrigan ..... The director
Diane Polley ..... Herself (archive footage)
Joanna Polley ..... Herself
Mark Polley ..... Himself
Michael Polley ..... Himself
Sarah Polley ..... Herself
Mort Ransen ..... Himself
Anne Tait ..... Herself
Claire Walker ..... Herself

Synopsis:

In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who's telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.

Actress/director/writer Sarah Polley conducts a series of interviews - "interrogations" as one of her interview subjects calls them - with family, friends and acquaintances. She wants her subjects to talk openly and honestly of their perspective of the "issue" that sparked this documentary, which starts off seemingly about the marriage of Sarah's parents, actors Michael Polley and the long deceased Diane Polley. Sarah's four siblings and her father talk about the issue as a long held family joke that started casually when Sarah was thirteen. Michael also provides a self-written monologue about the issue. That issue ultimately comes to light as the documentary progresses, and which affects Sarah and Michael the most among the living family members. But as that issue does come to light, the question becomes whether the movie is or should be about the issue itself, or if it should be about the perception of interviewees through the stories they tell about the issue. Much will depend on how Sarah ultimately wants to frame the movie through her editing process.

In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, writer/director Sarah Polley delves into the murky waters of family histories. As each interviewee relates their story varying levels of reliability are exposed and the truth is shown as being dependant on how it is told. Written and directed by the multi award-winning, OSCAR-nominated Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz, Away From Her).

This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 07 June, 2020.