Stories We Tell is a documentary, with Sarah Polley as writer and director. In this documentary, Polley explores and investigates the history of her family, unearthing some personal secrets she didn't expect to find. In this documentary, she speaks to a number of different people, including family members and family friends, in order to find out more about her loved ones.
Polley specifically examines her parents, Michael and Diana, and their relationship. Sarah's mother unfortunately died when the filmmaker was just 11, meaning that she discovers a lot about Diana through making this film, including the fact that her mother had an affair, resulting in the birth of Sarah.
Through this documentary, Sarah questions the way we tell the story of our lives, noting that this story is often marred by personal elements and a vague memory: "I'm interested in the way we tell stories about our lives, and that the truth about the fact is often ephemeral and difficult to pin down." Here, she is particularly speaking about our memories of the people in our lives, and what they used to be like.
