I don't like to write about the non movie-related/personal stories surrounding most filmmakers. But it's kind of impossible to avoid that when it comes to Sarah Polley. To say her films are personal or semi-autobiographic would be an understatement. Her films are a direct extension of her & her DNA (literally).
But I didn't realize any of this until Stories We Tell, which, in my opinion, is the movie she has been working towards thus far in her career as a filmmaker.
After watching Stories We Tell for a second time, her filmography made so much sense. Both; Away From Her (2006) & Take This Waltz (2012) have to do with infidelity. Sarah Polley is the product of an affair (a fact she came to find out later on as an adult which eventually became Stories We Tell). I’m surprised I didn’t catch the connection right away but after listening to Polley's interview on the treatment podcast with Elvis Mitchell, it turns out that she didn’t even catch the most common thread that connects all of her features.
But Sarah Polley's movies are about more than just affairs. Throughout this piece you'll find that she has her own common shots & regularly explored themes just like any other filmmaker in this series.
Enjoy...
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Couples often seem happy in the films of Sarah Polley. But very early on we learn that's not exactly the case. She quickly digs beneath the surface and shows that things aren't all what they seem. That's not to say our couples don't love each other. Hardly. There's plenty of love. But that love is usually put to the test..
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| Away From Her |
TEMPTATION & INFIDELITY
Temptation from an outside admirer is a common theme in Sarah Polley's cinematic universe. We always see characters fighting off the urge to cheat on and/or leave their significant others.
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| Away From Her |
RESENTMENT
Infidelity eventually leads to obvious things like distrust & resentment. And what's interesting is while Polley's female characters
certainly have their own resentments (especially in
Away From Her), we usually see said resentment through the eyes of the men in the relationships...
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| Away From Her |
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take This Waltz |
LONELINESS & REGRET
Infidelity, distrust & resentment usually lead to separation which leads to loneliness (again - with the exception of
Take This Waltz - Sarah Polley shows us loneliness through the perspective of our male characters)
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| Take This Waltz |
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| Away From Her |
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| Stories We Tell |
(POSSIBLE) INFLUENCES & VISUAL SIMILARITIES
Since day one, Sarah Polley has always had a unique eye. Her directorial debut,
The Best Day Of My Life, shows a lot of visual similarities to everything/everyone from Luis Bunuel to Jean Luc Godard. I highly doubt these examples below are intentional (except the
L'Age D'or comparison) but they are similar nonetheless...
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| L'Age D'or / The Best Day Of My Life |
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| Boy Meets Girl / The Best Day Of My Life |
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| A Married Woman / The Best Day Of My Life |
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Elephant /
The Best Day Of My Life |
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U.S. Go Home Home /
The Best Day Of My Life |
other various visual similarities...
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The Faithful Heart / Take This Waltz
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| Away From Her / Amour |
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| The art of Vincent Van Vogh / Stories We Tell |
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| Cache / Stories We Tell |
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| Rene Magritte / Alias Grace |
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| Take This Waltz / Max Ernst |
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| The Deep End / Take This Waltz |
RECURRING SHOTS
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Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom) |
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Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom) |
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Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom) |
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Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom) |
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SARAH POLLEY
As I already stated in the intro, Sarah Polley puts a piece of herself (or her mother) in every one of the (female) characters in her feature films...
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Away From Her |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| The Best Day Of My Life |
A FEMALE'S PERSPECTIVE
While Polley
does focus on the sensitive side of men in all of her films, they're still female driven stories at the end of the day. Motherhood, hormones & womanhood are always at the forefront of her movies...
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| Away From Her |
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| The Best Day Of My Life |
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| Alias Grace |
CANADIAN PRIDE/CANADIAN LANDSCAPES
Sarah Polley is extremely Canadian (that's a compliment). At an early age Sarah Polley has been a staple within the modern Canadian film scene working with everyone from Cronenberg & Egoyan to appearing in Kids In The Hall sketches...
Polley's Canadian pride shows in all her films from the snowy rural landscapes (
Away From Her) & classic architecture (
Alias Grace) to the colorful neighborhood of Little Portugal (
Take This Waltz)
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| Away From Her |
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| Away From Her |
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take Thus Waltz |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| Alias Grace |
PARTIAL RESOLUTION/OPEN ENDINGS
Sarah Polley doesn't put a period or a nice little bow on any of her films. While she does offer
some relief & resolution, she also leaves a lot of things open. Sarah Polley's films are an extension of her own life & personal stories. She's still discovering things about herself (both in front of & behind the camera). Her life is still in motion and her work represents that...
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| Stories We Tell |
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| Take This Waltz |
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| Away From Her |
