Jamesj3111

Exceptional film. It portrays the unconscionable acts that servants of a totalitarian state must endure to retain a sense of stability in their lives. Beautifully filmed in places like the streets of Tehran and the ancient ruins in the country.

Excellent film. The film portrays the recurring historical/political themes that blind people (nationalism, etc.) and can cause them to act with cruelty to each other. The film is highly relevant and informative based on disgraceful immigration events currently in progress in the US in 2017.

I don't know Sarah Polley but she strikes me as very bright somewhat shy and vulnerable. These characteristics are reflected in the film. After constructing the film's framework (tell the fully story as you remember it in your own words) she lets the film unfold without heavy handed involvement. She appears very cognizant of the fact that editing would in a way tamper with the raw truth the participants are sharing. Stories We Tell is a wonderful film. It caused me to deeply reflect on my life. I remembered, I cried, I laughed and dare I say, I changed after watching it; can't ask much more of a film. Its perhaps paradoxical that such a personal film by Poley would elicit such a response. Its all about her family, her mother and father, her experiences. Yet these experiences have such resonance because watching you realize what a common experience we share. Everyone lives a life that leaves us with scattered memories attached to inner feelings that are very hard to organize or even retain. We don't have the luxury of interviewing our lives participants. Poley gets this chance (created the chance) and makes the best of it. She interviews her siblings, her father, their friends. The film demonstrates how our minds sometimes fill in the blanks in an illusory way or push the memory and pain to the background. The film is worth more than the combined experience of one hundred Hollywood blockbusters. It has no car chases, no violence, no aging action hero, And it works. Every time I see a film like this I am reminded that with so many bad films produced it doesn't have to be that way. We deserve better. Thank you Sarah.

This movie is a Rorschach Test for moviegoers. Some people love it, some hate it. I'm in the former camp, and don't understand the vitriolic rants of the latter. Some of the anger that foments from this movie suggests to me that the reviewers might have more issues than the movie. Come on. Its a musical. It's light entertainment to cheer you up, lift your spirits. In that regard its a wonderful movie. Ok, let's evaluate the film on very basic levels: Entertaining=yes, Cast=great, Visually rich=yes, Music=great songs of course. Some users/reviewers actually base their rating/impression of the movie on the camera work ("the camera work was shoddy"). Go see it. Ignore the snotty reviews.