The Tale

Name: The Tale
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: May 26, 2018
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 90
Cast: Chelsea Alden, Common, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn, Frances Conroy

2018

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 26 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 77 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	Your Score
7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 77 Ratings

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The Tale

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Movie Details & Credits

Home Box Office (HBO) | Release Date (Streaming): May 26, 2018 | TV-MA

Starring: Chelsea Alden, Common, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn, Frances Conroy, Isabella Amara, Isabelle Nélisse, Jason Ritter, John Heard, Laura Allen, Laura Dern

Summary: Jennifer Fox (Laura Dern) faces a host of life-altering questions after a short story from her middle school days forces her to re-examine her first sexual relationship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Director: Jennifer Fox

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 114 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Lara Zarum

Jun 5, 2018

The Tale is a powerful and clear-eyed examination of sexual abuse and the shifting sands of one’s own memories. Read full review

100

IndieWire David Ehrlich

An immense, brave, and genuinely earth-shaking self-portrait that explores sexual assault with a degree of nuance and humility often missing from the current discourse, The Tale is undeniably primed for the #MeToo movement, but it’s also so much bigger than that. Read full review

100

Allison Shoemaker

May 27, 2018

Restraint and simplicity are words that can be applied to every performance in The Tale, and nearly all of those performances are excellent. Read full review

Tim Grierson

Brilliantly constructed and heartrendingly performed, The Tale feels as cathartic and cleansing as a primal scream. Read full review

Robert Lloyd

May 30, 2018

It's a very fine film, powerful yet nuanced and not in any sense sensational or exploitative. Read full review

The Playlist Gregory Ellwood

Fox knows firsthand the events that occur to Dern’s character in her feature narrative debut because they happened to her. And beyond its creative success and failures, her willingness to tell her own story in such graphic detail is a startlingly brave act. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Both a natural extension of Fox’s career to date and a complete about-face, The Tale marks her first narrative feature, but only because traditional documentary wouldn’t do justice to this messy, meandering investigation into her traumatic first sexual experience, for the incidents it depicts are true, “at least as far I know.” Read full review

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User Reviews

Deanomite

Jan 20, 2020

Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist) is always amazing, Laura Dern going strong after Marriage Story. Autobiographical story of Jennifer Fox who has worked on lots of good movies. I like the way the nostalgia is interactive, breaks the 4th wall well. Nicely photographed and edited, good acting allEllen Burstyn (The Exorcist) is always amazing, Laura Dern going strong after Marriage Story. Autobiographical story of Jennifer Fox who has worked on lots of good movies. I like the way the nostalgia is interactive, breaks the 4th wall well. Nicely photographed and edited, good acting all around. I like how the perspective adjusts nostalgia to reality. It reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, nostalgia from an adult perspective. I like the idea of realizing in adulthood that we were abused in childhood, in many ways. I like how she saw herself as a hero for walking away, failing to see how she was victimized. There are no heroes in these stories, only survivors.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Indiefilmlover

Jun 2, 2018

Quite frankly, "The Tale" is a difficult film to watch, but it tells a complicated story that deserves to be told. Definitely not a film for the very young. It might be worth seeing with teenagers along with their parents, but only if the parents are prepared to have a long discussion withQuite frankly, "The Tale" is a difficult film to watch, but it tells a complicated story that deserves to be told. Definitely not a film for the very young. It might be worth seeing with teenagers along with their parents, but only if the parents are prepared to have a long discussion with their children afterwards. Laura Dern, as expected gives a strong performance, but Jason Ritter as Bill is absolutely fearless. It's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job in the latter role then Ritter.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

JLuis_001

May 30, 2018

It is not an easy film and it doesn't deal with a easy theme, in addition to the fact that the paused way in which the story is told will not get many followers for the cause, but being a personal story of the director and screenwriter; Jennifer Fox, the film takes on a different relevanceIt is not an easy film and it doesn't deal with a easy theme, in addition to the fact that the paused way in which the story is told will not get many followers for the cause, but being a personal story of the director and screenwriter; Jennifer Fox, the film takes on a different relevance in particular. for the touch and sensitivity that she provides and that undoubtedly makes a difference from other films that portray a similar topic.

Indispensable.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

mrharrybeck

Oct 7, 2018

Timely and above all; IMPORTANT. Powerful performances and great direction. Laura Dern is at her best here with a topic that sadly reflects our every-day world.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

m15964

Oct 5, 2019

I think it's overrated in critics reviews even though actually it's a fantastic movie that moves your heart to the heartbreaking subject that the movie is all about. The best parts of the movie are last scenes when the grown up character finally get this point that it's absolutely wrong toI think it's overrated in critics reviews even though actually it's a fantastic movie that moves your heart to the heartbreaking subject that the movie is all about. The best parts of the movie are last scenes when the grown up character finally get this point that it's absolutely wrong to behave like this to a teenager girl.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ValdiB

Jun 11, 2018

With her background in documentary films, Jennifer Fox brings out a freshly crafted biopic that plays out like an actual documentary. It's a risky move on paper, but a bold one once it played out on screen. The chemistry between the cast is great, which is scary to say the least consideringWith her background in documentary films, Jennifer Fox brings out a freshly crafted biopic that plays out like an actual documentary. It's a risky move on paper, but a bold one once it played out on screen. The chemistry between the cast is great, which is scary to say the least considering its subject matter.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ahmedaiman9999

Jun 8, 2018

The plot is very messy and incoherent. This is the only issue I have with The Tale, but it's definitely a grave one. I won't be lying if I said that sometimes I couldn't even tell what was Jennifer, our protagonist, wanted to know, or what she was trying to discover. All I wanted is aThe plot is very messy and incoherent. This is the only issue I have with The Tale, but it's definitely a grave one. I won't be lying if I said that sometimes I couldn't even tell what was Jennifer, our protagonist, wanted to know, or what she was trying to discover. All I wanted is a specific aim, and that shouldn't have been hard to achieve. But there are so many things that can redeem this film. All the performances are great; Elizabeth Debicki is wonderful as Jennifer's riding teacher, and I didn't even realize that she has these masterful acting abilties. Laura Dern is very good as Jennifer, but I think Isabelle Nélisse who played the same character at the age of 13 is the real star in this movie. She excellently balanced between the innocence and the cruelty; as the movie mixed between the past and the present.

By the way, this is one of the most important things that made this movie so intense. Jennifer Fox, as a director, used the technique of mixing the past with the present to create some sort of an unsettling atmosphere that made this movie so difficult to watch. Also, there is a particular scene in which this technique was used, that I consider as the best scene of the movie, and one of the best movie scenes this year so far.

Another great decision the director made is retelling Jennifer's story every time she discovers something new about her past. That made me that every new piece of information is like a clever twist.

There are plenty of moments that will make you feel nervous. Moments that will put you into Jennifer's shoes, and make you keep wondering what this character will do to her? what this character's answer will be like? Is this is even the truth? As you can see there are many great things in terms of the directing, and that means that Jennifer Fox's directorial debut is very successful. But it's her writing abilities that need to be developed.

(7/10)… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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