the film looks at the relationship between polley's parents, michael and diane polley, including the revelation that the filmmaker was the product of an extramarital affair between her mother and montreal producer harry gulkin. it incorporates interviews with polley's siblings from her mother's two marriages, interviews with other relatives and family friends, michael polley's narration of his memoir, and super-8 footage shot to look like home movies of historical events in her family's life. the faux home video footage appears exceptionally authentic due to the performers’ close resemblance to the real-life characters. the cast in the super-8 re-creations includes rebecca jenkins as diane, who had died of cancer on january 10, 1990 — the week of polley's 11th birthday. polley began work five years before completing the documentary, taking many breaks in between.