THE TALE: Harrowing & Necessary Study Of Abuse

Jennifer Fox‘s The Tale made quite the splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, earning an array of vocal supporters and even a few detractors. Directorial debuts are a dime a dozen at Sundance, but this one (the narrative debut of a documentary filmmaker) felt different. From the outside looking in, Fox‘s examination of her own sexual abuse as a young girl seemed like a necessary, powerful statement in the midst of the #MeToo movement. When you consider the fact that Harvey Weinstein preyed on his victims at festivals like Sundance, the weight and gravity of Fox’s achievement becomes even more significant.

Picked up in a high profile deal, The Tale ended up selling to HBO Films in lieu of a major theatrical release. While Fox‘s film may be shut out of the awards race, the medium does not dilute the gut-wrenching power of this story in any way. The film, which premiered on May 26 on HBO, is a difficult and uneasy viewing experience, one that is never content to deal with sexual assault and rape in an abstract sense. Fox confronts the abuse she suffered in a direct and pointed manner, digging deeper into her own past before exposing a cycle of pain that has continued throughout her own life.

Unique Approach to Devastating Material

In an unconventional fictionalization of a personal story, Laura Dern plays Fox, the film’s very own writer and director. She’s a documentary filmmaker, but her life takes a surprising turn when she discovers an old story from her middle school years. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) discovered this account of Jennifer’s relationship with an older man, and she’s utterly distraught by this depiction of abuse. Intrigued by this chronicle, Fox begins to dig into her own personal history to find the truth.

What she finds is undeniably terrible, a lifetime of ripple effects from two relationships where she was taken advantage of repeatedly. The abusers were Mrs. G (Elizabeth Debicki) and Bill (Jason Ritter), two coaches with a knack for making young Jenny feel loved and appreciated during her tumultuous home years. As she tracks down those who abused her and those who could have known, Fox comes to terms with what happened to her, uncovering the lies she was told by others and those she told herself. And in the process, she finds strength in the way she survived and overcame this horrific tragedy.

With repetitive sequences, poetic interludes, and plenty of fourth-wall breaks, The Tale makes a personal story feel even more immediate. At times, Fox‘s approach almost feels more suited to the theatrical treatment, as I can imagine a director using both sides of a stage to present the contrasting narratives. But in cinematic form, the chosen devices and quirks of the story never feel gimmicky. Instead, they serve the characters in a moving and striking way, adding to the conversational tone and astonishing intensity of the film.

Hugely Engrossing & Gripping Storytelling

It’s honestly difficult to imagine The Tale working nearly as well without these major choices, which set the thematic course of the film in an important way. This is a remarkable portrayal of the way our memory can fail us, how certain events can be buried and altered in ways that we might not even realize. One notable sequence in the early moments of the film finds Jennifer shocked to discover that she was much younger during the abuse than she originally thought, which is highlighted by a swift actor change. It’s the kind of remarkable, haunting choice that makes this film such a distinct journey.

Nonetheless, The Tale does get off to something of an awkward start, as dialogue is not one of the film’s strong suits. Fox has a background as a documentary filmmaker, so some of the sequences can feel stilted and stodgy in a noticeable way. The most obvious example of this comes in a series of scenes between Dern and Burstyn, who both struggle to bring life to simple exchanges. While this is noticeable at first, Fox emerges as something of a master storyteller, digging deeper into a well of emotion to produce some indelible moments.

It’s the kind of film that grows and expands as it continues, reaching places so raw and unflinching that it’s hard to look away, even if you feel inclined to do so. Considering the nature of this story, Fox rarely treats any developments in the narrative as major twists or shocking turns. However, she’s devoted to the complexity of this historical chronicle, slowly releasing tidbits of information piece by piece at a pace that keeps the viewer invested. At a certain point, there’s a real sense of identification with these personal stakes, which become more and more critical as the story continues.

Layered Performances Reveal Rich Emotion

Laura Dern is in the midst of something of a renaissance, and she’s undeniably crucial to the success of The Tale. It’s fascinating to imagine Fox directing this performance of herself, finding the proper balance between her own mannerisms and self-image, and Dern‘s screen interpretation. So much of the film takes place in Jennifer’s mental space, and it’s a testament to Dern‘s performance that there’s such an impeccable blend of internal pain and external struggle. Jennifer’s reactions to her discoveries are never simple, and the extent to which Dern captures those intricacies and complexities with ease is undeniably impressive.

The other half of The Tale‘s brilliant central duo is Isabelle Nélisse, who portrays the younger Jenny. While the end credits ensure the viewer that all scenes of sexuality were filmed with an adult body double, this could not have been an easy role for a young actor like Nélisse. I felt profoundly uncomfortable at many moments, even pondering if it was unethical to put such a young performer in these nauseating situations. But the head-on confrontation of this abuse is what makes this film so special, and I eventually came to the realization that Fox was achieving her desired effect.

Jason Ritter is terrifying as Bill, crafting a manipulative monster with a genuinely creepy smile, but it’s Elizabeth Debicki with some of the strongest moments of the film, leaning into the vile and sympathetic aspects of this disturbed individual. Common and Ellen Burstyn are solid as well, but it’s the collective impact of the supporting cast that echoes long after the credits roll. These nuanced performances only serve to compound the emotional effect of Fox‘s incredible story, eventually building to some kind of catharsis. Whether the characters are despicable or empathetic, every player in the ensemble contributes something essential to this endeavor.

The Tale: Conclusion

The results of this journey are undeniably shattering, and it’s all the more disturbing when you consider the central truth at the heart of this story. The Tale is a challenging, often experimental film, rarely reverting to traditional styles to tell a profoundly unconventional mystery. Many audiences will likely shy away from the graphic depiction of pedophilia and abuse, but the film’s frankness is often its greatest asset. If the stodginess of the dialogue seems to resemble a stage play at times, the sheer importance of this story makes The Tale a crucial cinematic experience.

What did you think of The Tale? Were you moved or disturbed by the film’s depiction of the ramifications of abuse? Discuss in the comments below!

The Tale premiered on HBO on May 26. It is available now on HBO Go and HBO NOW.