Overview
We all have a family story to tell, but we can't all tell it like Sarah Polley. The actor known for such films as Dawn of the Dead and Splice and director of quietly acclaimed features Take This Waltz and Away From Her has turned her hand to documentary with Stories We Tell, and it's been demanding attention from festival audiences around the world.
Unfortunately, it's one of those films that it's best to know as little of as possible when you go in, so this is going to be a short article. Suffice to say, Polley's primary interest is her mother, Diane Polley, an actress and extrovert who relished the escape from home life that came with roles on the stage. She died in 1990, when Sarah was 11, leaving behind a web of secrets that lay hidden for many years — until her daughter grew up and started to pull at the threads.
Polley has a great cast of characters in her life to work with (every member of her family is interviewed), but the magic of this movie is ultimately in her storytelling. It's wittily edited, warm and makes some rather uncanny use of Super 8. The result is probably the most enthralling and entertaining family memoir around.
Stories We Tell is in cinemas on September 26. Thanks to Palace Films, we have ten double advance screening passes to give away, valid from September 13-22. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.