Storytelling

Todd Solondz wrote and directed Storytelling, a two-part film set in the worlds of a college and a high school. The first section, "Fiction," follows a writing student named Vi, her classmates Marcus and Catherine, and their instructor Mr. Scott. The second, "Nonfiction," centers on Toby Oxman, an aspiring documentary maker who persuades a listless high school student and his family to appear in his film. Both halves deal with sex, race, ambition and the way people use one another.

The cast includes Selma Blair as Vi, Leo Fitzpatrick as Marcus, Robert Wisdom as Mr. Scott, Aleksa Palladino as Catherine, Mark Webber as Scooby Livingston and Paul Giamatti as Toby Oxman. Produced by Ted Hope and Christine Vachon for New Line Cinema, Good Machine and Killer Films, it runs 87 minutes.

Storytelling was released in November 2001, following Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness. On IMDb it holds a 6.8 rating from roughly 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.5 from about 214 votes, a smaller but similarly positive audience response. The film critics' rating stands at 6.1 from 91 reviews, slightly below the audience scores. Its worldwide box office reached about 1 million USD, a modest figure consistent with the film's limited art-house reach.