: Despite the revelation, Michael remains a central figure, providing the film's narrative backbone by reading from a memoir he wrote about his life with Diane. His enduring love for Sarah and his thoughtful perspective on the past provide the film's most poignant emotional notes. Innovative Storytelling Techniques
The documentary is structured as an investigation where Polley interviews her siblings, her father Michael, and friends of her mother to piece together Diane’s life. Diane passed away from cancer when Sarah was only 11, leaving behind a legacy of vibrant energy and hidden layers.
: 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)
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
: Through her research, Polley identifies her biological father as Harry Gulkin , a film producer she eventually meets and forms a friendship with. : Despite the revelation, Michael remains a central
Polley uses a unique blend of real archival material and "faux" home video to challenge traditional documentary conventions.
: 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. Diane passed away from cancer when Sarah was
Polley later won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for her 2022 film Women Talking , further cementing her status as a premiere voice in modern storytelling.