STORIES WE TELL

STORIES WE TELL. I read about this documentary in the NY Times, then heard the film maker interviewed by Terry Gross (my favorite Interviewer) on Fresh Air (NPR). I saw the film and then read the reviews. I immediately wondered if we'd seen the same movie. First of all, it was very boring. The story: the Mom has an affair, daughter and family basically discover this way down the road, although a couple of the family members say they suspected. The "secret" is that the film maker's dad who raised her and biological father are not one and the same.

And, to be honest, the duped dad and the biological father are equally dull. I know scores of families that have greater secrets and are much more attractive. One comes immediately to mind: a High School girlfriend. The subject of the movie and my girlfriend even look alike. My friend Becky was so "alive" as was the Mom of the documentary. Becky as a teenager was innovative and creative, energetic to a fault--always at the center of activity. I was way too "slow" to keep up with her. As I trip down memory lane, I think, "What a shame," in a sense, as we "play the hand we're dealt." Her parents were wonderful folks but were "survivors" themselves and didn't know how to nourish the creativity of this incredible daughter they had. Now, as I look back with the long lens of our history, I can see this.

Consequently, I am revising my view of STORIES WE TELL. See it. If a movie causes a stir in your memory bank i.e., this wonderful person who crossed my path at a significant time in life, I have to say, thanks for the memories.