Written and directed by Jennifer Fox, The Tale is an account of Jennifer’s experience coming to terms with sexual abuse. How do the stories we tell ourselves influence our response to trauma?
The Tale centers around documentary filmmaker and professor, Jennifer Fox (Laura Dern) as a short story she wrote as a kid, forces her to re-examine her first sexual relationship. The story, also named “The Tale” is told through the eyes of her 13-year-old self (Isabel Nélisse). Jennifer’s rewriting of her own history to ensure her survival turns her world upside down as she tries to understand the truth of what happened to her.
A striking and courageous retelling of her personal experience, The Tale bends the narrative of the victim of sexual abuse. Adult Jennifer physically recoils when her boyfriend Martin (Common), refers to her as a victim, because she had not seen herself that way. “We tend to think of this as so heavy, but my mom and I have gotten to a point where there isn’t much anger anymore,” Fox says.
Laura Dern is a tour de force in every moment on screen. In a movie with such a heavy theme, where it is easy to overplay emotions, Dern is reserved. There are so many layers to her performance, which makes it much more powerful. She’s not screaming and crying on the floor as we’d expect, yet we still feel the emotional depth of her character reeling as memories of her childhood come flooding back. Newcomer, Isabel Nelisse, who was eleven at the time of filming, is beyond exceptional. In a film with so many experienced actors, she holds her own no matter who she is in a scene with. As young Jennifer, she is equal parts vulnerable, innocent, trusting, and resilient. Her scenes were some of the toughest in the film to watch, because every time she hurt, you felt an ache in your chest to protect her.
The film does not shy away from its depiction of sexual abuse. There are intimate scenes throughout (filmed with an adult body double) which were uncomfortable to sit through. Jason Ritter, who plays young Jennifer’s running coach, excels in a difficult role, where he is asked to say things that are hard to repeat out loud. His intimate scenes underscore how easy it was for Bill to prey on Jennifer. It’s how we understand how confusing and complex abuse can be for a survivor. This was Fox’s intention in telling her story. Ritter is perfectly cast. His choice to never portray Bill as dark or evil, truly emphasizes his predatory nature. It always feels like you can trust him, which makes him much scarier than he appears.
What makes this movie exceptional, is Fox’s ability to blend and weave both her younger and older self. Fox masterfully plays with the concept of an unreliable narrator. When the audience discovers one thing to be true, we find out a few minutes later, as does Jennifer, she remembered something incorrectly. Jennifer’s memories are distorted as a way to deal with her trauma. As Fox explained to the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of The Tale, “I never forgot anything. It’s just the way I spun the story to myself.”
Fox’s background as a documentary filmmaker becomes apparent in her stylistic choices within the movie. The Tale is a fictionalized version of her life, but it feels, when you’re watching like a documentary narrative is unfolding. By the end, we are left feeling a bit helpless and very raw, but with the understanding of a truth greater than ourselves and our own experiences. The Tale is a movie to be experienced and discussed. As Fox says “Watch it with friends and family. Talk about it.”
The Tale premieres on HBO May 26th. For more information visit here.
