What is Stories We Tell's IQ Score?

Stories We Tell has an IQ Score of 134/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Stimulating tier. The score breaks down to 34/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 28/50 Educational Value, and 40/50 Craft & Quality.

Is Stories We Tell educational?

Stories We Tell is moderate on educational value, 28/50 on TVI's rubric. Some learning happens, but it isn't the show's primary work.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

Stories We Tell , IQ Score 134/200

Name: Stories We Tell
Genre: documentary
Rating: 134

Stories We Tell has an IQ Score of 134/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MPH·Updated 2026-06-06·Methodology

documentary

134/ 200

Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

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Why you should trust this score

Methodology reviewed by Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician scientist. Master of Public Health, with substantial coursework in research methodology. Reviews the rubric and its application across the adult catalog.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,324 titles, version-controlled

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The TVI Take

Sarah Polley investigates her family's secret through interviews and reconstructed footage. Formally exceptional, the revelation of which footage is reconstructed is among documentary cinema's finest formal moments.

Educational about family myth-making and the subjective nature of memory.

Where to Watch

Rent