2018 film by Jennifer Fox
The Tale
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/The_Tale.png) Film release poster
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Directed by
| Jennifer Fox
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Written by
| Jennifer Fox
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Produced by
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Starring
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Cinematography
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Edited by
|
- Alex Hall
- Gary Levy
- Anne Fabini
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Music by
| Ariel Marx
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Production
companies
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Distributed by
| HBO Films
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Release dates
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- January 20, 2018
(
2018-01-20
)
(
Sundance
)
- May 26, 2018
(
2018-05-26
)
(United States)
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Running time
| 114 minutes
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Country
| United States
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Language
| English
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The Tale
is a 2018 American
drama
television
film written and directed by
Jennifer Fox
and starring
Laura Dern
,
Ellen Burstyn
,
Jason Ritter
,
Elizabeth Debicki
,
Isabelle Nelisse
,
Common
,
Frances Conroy
, and
John Heard
. It tells the story about Fox's own
childhood sexual abuse
and her coming to terms with it in her later life. It premiered at the
2018 Sundance Film Festival
[1]
[2]
and aired on
HBO
on May 26, 2018.
[3]
It was nominated for numerous awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, Spirit, and Gotham Awards.
In a 2023 interview with
The New York Times
, Fox revealed the identity of the man who abused her:
Ted Nash
, a two-time Olympic medalist in rowing and nine-time Olympic coach.
[4]
Plot
[
edit
]
Jennifer Fox is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and professor in her 40s when her mother, Nettie, calls her in alarm after discovering an essay she wrote when she was 13. The essay is about a "relationship" Jennifer had when she was 13 and which she dismisses as something she hid from her mother at the time to not upset her, because her boyfriend was "older".
After re-reading the essay Jennifer begins to do research on that period in her life. She imagines herself as being older and sophisticated but is surprised at how small and childlike she appears in photos from that time. Jennifer's relationship began one summer when she went to an intensive horse training camp with three other girls. She lived with the beautiful and enigmatic Mrs. G, who also had Jenny and the girls run with professional coach Bill Allens, who was in his 40s. After the summer ends Mrs. G and Bill reveal to Jenny they are lovers.
After the camp, Jenny kept her horse with Mrs. G and continued to see her and Bill on the weekends. Eventually Jenny began spending time with Bill alone. He began
sexually grooming
her, until finally
raping
her, telling her that they were "making love".
When Jennifer's partner finds letters written to her by Bill, he says that she was raped, but she refuses to see it that way, proclaiming that she is not a victim. However she slowly begins to question whether her recollections are accurate and eventually realizes despite her protests she had been exhibiting symptoms of being sexually abused for years. She goes to visit Mrs. G, who refuses to acknowledge her role in Jenny's abuse and asks her to leave.
As Jennifer continues to investigate that summer, she realizes that Bill and Mrs. G were probably grooming other girls. She remembers a college student named Iris Rose who worked for Mrs. G. Jennifer tracks Iris Rose down who tells her that she, Mrs. G and Bill had threesomes and that Mrs. G was actively involved in finding girls for Bill. This prompts Jennifer to remember that she was supposed to participate in group sex with Mrs. G, Bill and Iris one weekend. Jenny, who threw up each time she was raped by Bill, had an anxiety attack and threw up the day before she was due to go away for the weekend, causing her mother to keep her at home. Realizing she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with Bill, Jenny called him and broke up with him, even as he pleaded with her to stay. Unlike Bill, Mrs. G coldly accepted Jenny's decision to remove her horse that weekend. Jenny wrote about her time with Bill in an essay for school (calling it a work of fiction) in which she proclaimed herself a hero, not a victim; this is the essay her mother finds at the beginning of the film.
Jennifer goes to an awards ceremony where Bill is being honored to confront him, calling him out as a
child molester
in front of his wife and the other attendees. Bill denies everything and leaves. Jennifer has a
panic attack
and goes to the bathroom, and imagines sitting with her 13-year-old self.
Cast
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
In May 2015, it was announced that
Laura Dern
,
Ellen Burstyn
,
Elizabeth Debicki
, and
Sebastian Koch
would star in
The Tale,
and
Common
,
Jason Ritter
,
Frances Conroy
, and
John Heard
were in the cast.
[6]
It was also reported that the film was being shopped to foreign buyers at the
Cannes Film Festival
. At the time, it was expected that principal photography would begin that summer, however it began in Louisiana on October 20, 2015, and wrapped two months later.
[7]
[8]
Release
[
edit
]
In January 2018,
HBO Films
acquired distribution rights to the film.
[9]
It premiered on
HBO
on May 26, 2018.
[3]
Reception
[
edit
]
Critical response
[
edit
]
The Tale
was met with critical acclaim. On
review aggregator
website
Rotten Tomatoes
, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "
The Tale
handles its extraordinarily challenging subject matter with sensitivity, grace, and the power of some standout performances led by a remarkable Laura Dern."
[10]
On
Metacritic
, the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
[11]
Accolades
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Debruge, Peter (November 29, 2017).
"Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup"
.
Variety
.
Penske Business Media
.
Archived
from the original on December 11, 2017
. Retrieved
December 27,
2017
.
- ^
"The Tale"
.
Sundance Film Festival
.
The Sundance Institute
. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2019
. Retrieved
December 27,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Nolfi, Joey (April 9, 2018).
"Laura Dern sexual abuse drama The Tale gets HBO premiere date"
.
Entertainment Weekly
.
Archived
from the original on April 10, 2018
. Retrieved
April 9,
2018
.
- ^
Macur, Juliet (March 20, 2023).
"For Years She Said a Coach Abused Her. Now She Has Named a Legend"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on March 20, 2023
. Retrieved
March 21,
2023
.
- ^
Macur, Juliet (March 20, 2023).
"For Years She Said a Coach Abused Her. Now She Has Named a Legend"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on April 21, 2023
. Retrieved
March 20,
2023
.
- ^
Siegel, Tatiana (May 14, 2016).
"Cannes: Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Common Head Up Cast for Jennifer Fox's 'The Tale' (Exclusive)"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Prometheus Global Media
.
Archived
from the original on August 9, 2018
. Retrieved
December 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Germany's One Two Films to co-produce Laura Dern-starrer 'The Tale'
"
.
Screen Daily
. October 20, 2015.
Archived
from the original on April 16, 2019
. Retrieved
April 16,
2019
.
- ^
Tartaglione, Nancy (May 5, 2015).
"Mongrel Boards Laura Dern-Starrer 'The Tale'; Camera d'Or Jury Set ? Cannes Briefs"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Penske Business Media
.
Archived
from the original on December 28, 2017
. Retrieved
December 27,
2017
.
- ^
Galuppo, Mia; Lee, Ashley (January 26, 2018).
"Sundance: Laura Dern Drama 'The Tale' Nabbed by HBO Films"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Prometheus Global Media
.
Archived
from the original on June 12, 2018
. Retrieved
January 26,
2018
.
- ^
"The Tale (2018)"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
.
Fandango
.
Archived
from the original on 2018-01-28
. Retrieved
January 20,
2024
.
- ^
"The Tale Reviews"
.
Metacritic
.
CBS Interactive
.
Archived
from the original on August 20, 2018
. Retrieved
September 18,
2018
.
- ^
"Emmys.com list of 2018 Nominees & Winners"
.
Archived
from the original on December 10, 2018
. Retrieved
July 14,
2018
.
- ^
"
'First Reformed' And 'The Favourite' Top Gotham Awards Nominations"
. 18 October 2018.
Archived
from the original on 3 November 2018
. Retrieved
January 6,
2019
.
- ^
"Golden Globe Awards for 'Tale, The'
"
.
Archived
from the original on January 7, 2019
. Retrieved
January 6,
2019
.
- ^
Hammond, Pete (10 December 2018).
"Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'The Favourite' Tops With 14, 'Black Panther' A Marvel, 'First Man' Rebounds; 'The Americans' Leads TV Series"
.
deadline.com
.
Archived
from the original on 10 December 2018
. Retrieved
December 30,
2018
.
- ^
Warren, Matt (16 November 2018).
"These Are Your 2019 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees!"
.
Filmindependent.org
.
Archived
from the original on 6 March 2022
. Retrieved
December 11,
2018
.
- ^
"2018 Awards Nominees"
. International Press Academy. Archived from
the original
on November 29, 2018
. Retrieved
December 11,
2018
.
External links
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