To most mainstream cinema-goers Sarah Polley will probably still be best known for her role in Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead,” but with the arrival of her sophomore directorial effort “Take This Waltz” in a number of international markets this week, the focus is firmly back on her work behind the camera. After taking five years between her incredibly well-received debut “Away From Her” and the Michelle Williams/Seth Rogen starring follow-up, it looks like there won’t be anywhere near as big a gap between her second and third films.
“Stories We Tell” will be Polley’s first documentary feature will examine a family through a series of interconnecting stories that Polley has elicited from them as an interviewer. The official synopsis describes the doc as being “an exploration of the elusive nature of truth and memory,” in which Polley “investigates the secrets behind a family of storytellers.” By asking the same questions to each family member she receives a range of candid but contradictory responses, through which we’re promised Polley will “unravel the paradoxes to reveal the essence of a family.”
Well, that sounds interesting enough to us in concept, but it will all depend on Polley’s execution. For a taste of what to expect when the doc premieres at Venice and hits TIFF in the coming weeks, the first clip from the movie has been released, and it shows Polley watching on as one of said family members gives his take on how he entered this world. There’s a mix of archive footage, the live interview taking place and some shots of cells – and the interview itself seems to give some hints about the contemplative, philosophical approach that Polley seems to be taking. Promising stuff, and we'll see very soon if it all connects into another compelling tale from the director. [The Film Stage]