Stories We Tell(2012) May 2026

: Through her research, Polley identifies her biological father as Harry Gulkin , a film producer she eventually meets and forms a friendship with.

: 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. Stories We Tell(2012)

Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, "Stories We Tell" has been hailed as a masterwork of personal cinema. : Through her research, Polley identifies her biological

: 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,

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

: 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