Stories We Tell (2012)

This is a genealogical documentary by Sarah Polley. A good portion of the film is spent listening to different people speak about Polley's deceased mother, Diane, and events surrounding her own birth. Polley interviews her father, her siblings, step-siblings, potential lovers of her mother, and her mother's friends. Through all of this we get an idea of the vibrant, energetic woman who was Diane Polley, the impact she had on others, and the impact they had on her.

While the family history is all fine and well, it is not exactly a thrilling film. It's essentially a slow-paced sleuthing process recounting memories strangers have of a mutual connection. Interesting, but not exactly thrilling. Then, in the latter half of the film, close to the end, Polley does something pretty interesting and reflects on the possibility of being able to capture a true memory of her mother. If it is indeed possible to really know her mother, or understand these past events. She poses the question to a couple of her interviewees and receives some interesting ideas about the nature of memory and whether or not a memory can be truly universally shared. There is an interesting statement put forward that, no matter how 'organic' a memory is, it still undergoes an editing process of sorts when it's shared. It is polished and touched up and segments may be removed or modified to suit the situation, and Polley does a remarkable job of echoing this sentiment throughout the entirety of the film. Before, during, and after the shooting of the documentary, we see establishing shots. People getting ready to be interviewed, cameras or lighting equipment, and even shots or Polley herself as she is directing the picture. On more than one occasion, the idea of the 'fourth wall' is broken down and the audience is acutely aware of the fact that this film is being manufactured, but that it is still an essential truth. She also reflects on her own motivations for pursuing this project, once we learn the some key details of the story, and we are let into a very personal and private portion of this person's life. Polley is really opening herself up to the world with this film, at least in terms of the details surrounding her early childhood and birth.

A side note on Sarah Polley and my bias toward her. I really like Sarah Polley. I was first introduced to her through the Road to Avonlea series (phenomenal), and have seen her in various other productions since then. RTA was taken on by Disney after the first or second season, and ended up letting Polley go because of her political activism and refusal to give into the corporation when they told her to stop. When most of the Disney child stars I can think of off the top of my head end up getting into some of the less than ideal situations, I can only think extremely highly of a person who possessed too much moral integrity for Disney to stand. I also just think that she's a very talented and genuine actor and director, and am usually inclined to think that whatever she's affiliated with is bound to be interesting. And it usually is. But that's just me.

Anyway, the story is not only interesting, but she takes it to another level. Ultimately worth the watch.

Lantern Hill (1990)

Lantern Hill is based on the novel Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery, the same author who wrote Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon. The movie was produced by Sullivan Entertainment, like Anne was, and just like Anne, this movie is a great find. I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard of it before acquiring it by chance and watching it. It really is very good.

The story follows a girl named Jane who lives in Toronto with her mother in the early 1900's. Her mother comes down with a serious illness however and Jane is forced to leave her middle class home to move in with her very wealthy grandmother while her mother recovers. Jane doesn't fit in very well here and, much to her grandmother's horror, would much rather spend her time in the kitchen or doing housework than socializing with other girls from elite families. She is also frequently bullied by her cousin who one day tells her that her father, whom she was told passed away, is alive. Her grandmother receives a letter soon after that from her father, requesting that Jane comes to live with him for a time in Prince Edward Island. Fearful of legal issues that could arise, her grandmother has no choice but to send her away. Jane of course goes along and, like many heroines in LMM books we get the sense that she isn't really wanted or needed (unlike many heroines though she does have both parents alive). Jane arrives and is picked up by her father's sister, who Jane seems not to gel with immediately. Jane meets her father, who is a writer, and he's a scatter brained person with a big dog and a house by the sea on Lantern Hill. At first she feels just as ostracized and out or place as she did back in Toronto, but as her relationship with her father gets a little better and she slowly settles into island life she feels happy. She also finds out that there is a potential woman in her father's life now, but he has never remarried since her mother. Jane of course wants her parents to reunite.

This movie is fantastic. It has the same level of production as Anne of Green Gables, but the story and character types are different so it has a different feel to it. Jane is a really great heroine. She's a good heroine because even though she loves doing domestic things (unpopular even today as something a woman should aspire to or even enjoy in some circles) she doesn't give in to the situations she's thrust into. She isn't very vocal about what she wants, but she stubbornly stays true to herself.

Also, a young Sarah Polley has a role in the film as a young scullery maid who befriends Jane. As fans may know, Sarah Polley stars in another successful Sullivan production called Road to Avonlea, which is a series featuring the town Anne was a part of, though she's not in the show at all.

Splice (2009)

I've always been a big fan of Sarah Polley, so even though I wouldn't have normally took it upon myself to see this film, I watched it because of her.

The story begins with a romantically involved bio-chemist team, Elsa and Clive, (it doesn't specify whether or not they are married or are just seeing each other) who are working on a genetic mutation project wherein they combine the dna of several species. The project so far is a success and they want to push it a little bit further and incorporate human dna into their experiment, which would potentially help find cures from many diseases , but the board denies them because they feel it would be too risky. This does not stop them and they go ahead with it. The result is this oddly alien looking being that grows very quickly. Elsa becomes instantly attached to their creation and treats it more like a child than a science project and ends up calling it Dren. Clive is skeptical about the whole thing and at one point tries to drown it, but even though he's so opposed he takes a back seat to Elsa's desires. As Dren grows she gets harder to conceal and eventually they move her to Elsa's childhood home, which happens to be a farm. Things spiral more and more out of control as Dren grows more and as the tension between Elsa and Clive heightens. There's actually a point in the movie where Clive starts to lust after Dren, maybe because of the stress, maybe because it has some of Elsa's DNA, but in either case it's a bit weird. I won't spoil the ending by going further.

Overall I'd say it wasn't a bad movie, but is quite possibly b film material. It's still worth watching though, especially if you're into the whole alien/ sci-fi genre to begin with.

Road to Avonlea- Season 2

The second season of Road to Avonlea is just as lively and full of character and spunk as the first one. The first season ended with Sarah deciding to stay in Avonlea with her family instead of returning to Montreal with her father, and the second season takes up where the first left off. This season focuses on allowing the audience to acquaint themselves with the residents of Avonlea, instead of using the people of Avonlea to develop Sarah's character, which is what I felt the first season did more. In many of the episodes Sarah doesn't play an inciting role as she did in the first season, she's just more along for the ride here, which unfortunately foreshadows future seasons. I personally most enjoy the episodes that focus on the king family, and while I value and enjoy the time given to going into the lives of some of the other town members, I wanted the story to focus more on the king children/ adults. I loved Marilla and Rachel in Anne of Green Gables, I already know who they are and have watched the Anne movies enough times over to have familiarized myself with their personalities and dynamic. Seeing them in Road to Avonlea is nice and provides familiarity, but I find that I don't really enjoy the episodes focused on them as I do when they're just side characters as I already know who they are.

The focus on other people provides the viewers with an outside perspective of the King family. This is one of the reasons this show is so rich and intricately woven. The story isn't told from just one perspective, but from many perspectives. So one minute we are seeing from the perspective of one person, and the next from another who shows us a different perspective on the first person. So for example, if we were to see from Hetty King's perspective, we would see her pride and sense of honour and need to do what's right, but from say, Rachel Lynd's perspective, or many of the other town's people, even Sarah sometimes, Hetty is stubborn and heartless and cares only for the King name. so we get two sides of the story.

This is as good, if not better than the first season as the children are a bit older, and therefore a bit better at acting, and the characters and story are fleshed out a bit more. Great continuation.

Road to Avonlea season one

This is a great series. I have watched and enjoyed Anne of Green Gables before and was prepared for the world I was walking into, but I enjoyed it anew, as if walking into it for the first time. It's a story about a girl who gets sent off to live with her deceased mother's family for some time because her father is in some legal trouble, and how she slowly becomes a part of this small town. It's a fantastic period piece. To my knowledge, the setting and costumes are spot on and the sentiments of the time are also present, which is really refreshing. I mean I respect the fact that the present day takes pride in political correctness, but back in the day women couldn't vote, and a lot was placed on religion... and it's nice to see that history wasn't changed for the sake of present ideals.

At times the acting was somewhat contrived, but overall I'd say the actors did a great job. Even where the actors didn't quite do it for me, the characterization and plot stepped in and changed my mind. The characters are really compelling and they all have a story to tell. They have fire and spunk, even the quiet ones or the ones who barely make their presence known. The main characters had very strong personalities. Sarah is very proud and stubborn and little to nothing will get in her way enough to stop the course of action she's chosen... but at the same time she's reserved and thoughtful. Aunt Hetty is also very stubborn and strong (.. pretty much all of the women in this series have a strong voice, the plot is moved by them collectively). She doesn't like showing emotion and is at odds with several people because of the wrongs she perceives they have committed against her. She's very set in her ways. Olivia is very whimsical and counteracts Hetty's tough exterior. I won't go into all of the characters because there are a lot, but the two who aren't in the immediate family I'd like to mention would be Felicity and Peg Bowen. Felicity is Sarah's cousin and is very spiteful and petty, but at the same time, when she's nice you can feel the force of her character utilized in a positive way and are grateful for it. She's an interesting character because you sometimes can't decide whether you should like her or hate her. Peg Bowen is the town 'witch'. I really enjoyed this character because she's outside the norm and can be the voice of reason, I thought she was well done.

The episodes are basically events that open up the community a bit in some way or another, and Sarah's always the cause. it's kind of like that movie Pollyanna in that respect, but much more multifaceted.

This series isn't half as well known as it should be, but I find that those who know about it tend to really love it. And just a note. Make sure that if you watch this series, you watch the version produced by Sullivan Entertainment and not Disney. Disney chopped out pieces of the story and changed the music, their version is called Tales from Avonlea. Stay away.