Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, writer, director, producer and political activist.
Sarah Polley
Polley, whose mother and father were in show business, started her career as a child actress playing in the television series 'Ramona', based on Beverly Cleary's popular book series. Polley then got the role of Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series 'Road to Avonlea', based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's books. The actress subsequently starred in many feature films, including 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' and others. Polley then went on to become an award-winning writer, director and producer.
Young Sarah Polley with her parents, Michael Polley and Diane Polley
Sarah Polley as Ramona Quimby in 'Ramona'
Sarah Polley as Sara Stanley in 'Road To Avonlea'
In this memoir, consisting of six essays, Polley explores some of her most significant - and sometimes troubling - memories, and explains how these experiences affected her life.
✿ Alice, Collapsing
In this essay Polley, who was 15-years-old at the time, recalls her role as Alice in the Stratford Festival's 1994 production of 'Alice Through The Looking Glass.'
Sarah Polley as Alice in 'Alice Through The Looking Glass'
During this time Polley was suffering from severe scoliosis, was still reeling from the death of her mother four years before, and had to take care of herself - since her father was completely unable to cope after the death of his wife.
Sarah started out enthusiastic about the role of Alice but eventually became terrified of going on stage. She writes, "It wasn't just the play itself that started to drive me mad. So did the audience....who sat quietly together in the dark, unseen and safe with their rustling programs and snapping gum and glugs of eater, while I inwardly collapsed every night in front of them."
Polley now advises parents to be cautious about allowing their offspring to become child actors, since show business is a profit-driven enterprise that cares little for the welfare of the participants.
✿ The Woman Who Stayed Silent
In this piece, Polley deals with the fact that she didn't come forward when Jian Ghomeshi - a Persian-Canadian broadcaster, writer, musician, producer and radio host - was accused of sexual abuse by several women. Polley herself was (allegedly) choked during a sexual encounter with Ghomeshi when she was 16 and and he was in his twenties. Ghomeshi was prosecuted in 2015, and several women testified against him, but Sarah kept mum.
Jian Ghomeshi was put on trial in 2015
Polley writes, "Now, years later, I think I can finally articulate the reasons for my silence: I had too much information about what was going to happen to me and my family....my memory of what exactly happened all those years ago was only recently put back together, and perhaps most important....I knew that I wasn't strong enough."
Still, Polley seems to feel guilty about her silence and speculates that other women - who might have been vicims of men like Ghomeshi or Harvey Weinstein - also kept mum.
✿ High Risk
In this narrative Polley writes about her first pregnancy, which was high risk due to the fact she had previously suffered from endometriosis, had gestational diabetes and placenta previa. Because she was at risk Sarah was ensconced in the high-risk ward well before her due date. She recalls, "The nurses, are, for the most part incredibly kind, funny, and nurturing. Three times a day I am delivered a gestational-diabetes-friendly meal. Friends inquire as to how I am coping with all the disgusting hospital food, and I can't even pretend to not like it. This, more than anything else, makes them worry for my mental healh, but I am happy as a clam, having food that I can eat delivered on a regular basis."
The baby, delivered early, had to spend time in the NICU while Sarah learned about breast-feeding from 'experts' (some of them male) in the field.
✿ Mad Genius
In this essay Polley recounts her experience, at the age of eight, starring in Terry Gilliam's fantasy/comedy film 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.'
Sarah Polley (with John Neville) in 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'
Sarah was terrified during much of the filming, as the movie had many special effects, including scenes of exploding bombs. Polley recalls "Blasts of debris exploded on the ground around me, accompanied by deafening booms that made me feel as if I myself had exploded."
The crew also shot many scenes in a giant (freezing) tank of water, and Sarah observes, "We floated there, wetsuits under our costumess, for long periods of time, shivering with cold, our wetsuits insufficient to keep us warm in the chilly water."
Sarah came to see the situation as a sort of child abuse, which later reinforced her objection to youngsters being professional child actors.
✿ Dissolving The Boundaries
In this account, Polley describes a family trip - with her husband and three children - to Prince Edward Island, the locale for Polley's starring role in 'Road To Avonlea."
Sarah Polley and her husband David Sandomierski
Adult Sarah expects to be recognized by fans of the show - as she had been as a child - but goes largely unnoticed. Sarah writes, "I begin to wonder if ....I really am too old and haggard now to be recognized at all. [Pedestrians] look at me in passing, as their eyes travel somewhere else, but nothing clicks."
Sarah felt relieved that the Avonlea part of her life was over, and proceeded to enjoy the trip with her loved ones.
✿ Run Towards the Danger
In this title essay, Polley talks about a concussion she suffered when a fire extinguisher fell on her head in 2015. Following the advice of various doctors, Sarah tried to avoid situations that triggered debilitating symptoms like migraine headaches and extreme anxiety. After several years Polley visited a clinic in Pittsburgh, where Dr. Michael Collins advised her to do the exact opposite.....to "run towards the danger."
As it happens Collins has treated other Canadian women in the film industry, and he asks, 'What's with all the female filmmakers from Canada? Wht is going on up there?" And Polley jokingly replies, "We're a competitive bunch. The pool of female filmmakers is small, but even smaller is the pool of money to make films. We've taken to bashing each other over the head to put each other out of the running for the public money."
Writing these narratives was a cathartic experience for Polley. During an interview, she observed, "I will say writing these essays was a way of working through difficult times. I’m really happy with my life as it stands, so it’s hard to look back with regret." These days Sarah concentrates on her family and her career.
Like memoirs of some other celebrities, it's clear from Polley's essays that what looks like a 'charmed and successful life' from the outside sometimes hides difficult truths.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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