Stories We Tell(2012) May 2026

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.

: 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. Stories We Tell(2012)

Polley uses a unique blend of real archival material and "faux" home video to challenge traditional documentary conventions. Polley later won the Academy Award for Best

: The film highlights how each person’s version of the past is shaped by their own perspective, suggesting that "truth" is often ephemeral and subjective. Polley uses a unique blend of real archival

: 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.

Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, "Stories We Tell" has been hailed as a masterwork of personal cinema.