Review of Stories We Tell (2012) by A Z — 12 Jul 2013

The above description is a bit weird because it's no "revelation" that the mother and family are Polley's own...that much is obvious within the first 5 minutes.

I enjoyed this film and felt that the methods used to explore philosophical concepts like love, memory, relationships, the complex reasons why people do things as well as the unexpected ways they/we react to events.

I found it perhaps a tiny bit distracting that old-fashioned family film footage was recreated rather than original, but I think I understand why she made this choice and I do feel it added to the overall artistic style.

On the other hand, I felt that toward the end, it started to feel like it was dragging on a bit. Perhaps the editing could have been a little tighter. So in other words, I'd have given it an extra half star for creativity, but it loses a half star for meandering a tad too long (or vice versa).

Nevertheless, I think it's a thoughtful piece worth seeing, and recommend it to people who like documentaries and/or are interested in exploring the concepts I mentioned.