My viewing of The Tale is a perfect example of how great it is not knowing a ton about a film before you watch it. I had seen the very vague trailer and heard a lot of buzz from Sundance but I didn't read much on the film, nor did I really know what it was about. This film is one of the most personal and truthful ones I've seen in a while and it was an incredible watch.
This film follows the true story of its writer/director Jennifer Fox, whom at the age of thirteen was taken advantage of and sexually abused. Fox tells her story in parallels, jumping from her older self being reminded of the event and attempting to get closure from it, and her younger self going through the ordeal. Everything is based on "The Tale," Fox's story of it all that she wrote not long after it happened.
This film boasts some incredible performances. Laura Dern plays the older Jennifer, and she is absolutely fantastic. Through her performance you can see the pain everything caused, but also her acceptance of it. There is a scene where she in a way tries to justify it to the man in her life and it is clear that it is a conflict within her. Coming from a constantly at odds family, the feeling of being loved, even if by a man more than twice her age made her feel very special, and Dern portrays the unfortunate acceptance of it very well. Young Jennifer is played by Isabelle Nelisse, and at first I found her performance somewhat wooden, but as the story progressed it was clear that this was just an accurate portrayal of the introverted Jennifer. Most of the supporting cast is nothing special, but they all do a good enough job to give the film a strong level of believability. The one supporting performance that needs mentioning though is Elizabeth Debicki, whom plays Jennifer's horseback riding instructor. There is something about the charisma and charm that Debicki presents that allows her to steal the scene constantly. Jennifer is easily spellbound by her and if Debicki's performance is anything close to the true character then it is easy to understand why.
The filmmaking elements used in this film tend to be on the subtle side, but are nonetheless highly effective. The editing going back and forth from past to present could not have been done better, with graphic matches galore and a strong balance of what part of the story needs to be told when. The cinematography is for the most part standard with some strong shots, but the directing by Fox is on point, with some creative choices that I thought worked beautifully in telling her story. The direction and editing truly makes it feel as though you are being told a story, and that worked really well for me. As for the story itself, this is one of the most powerful we will see this year. It tells a tough story of sexual abuse to a young woman, and that story is made even stronger by seeing the conflict it has caused as she has grown up. We see young Jenny's infatuation with the man that takes advantage of her as well as Elizabeth Debicki's character, and then her older self trying to figure out why she felt that way. It makes for two parallel stories that each hold their own with strong emotional weight. With the growing importance of movements such as "Me Too" and "Times Up" this film could not be more relevant, as we see the filmmaker herself take hold of the wrongdoings against her and shed light on her tough past, not to mention we get an incredible film written and directed by a woman.
This film is important, and I hope more people see it because it is an emotional ride that should not be missed.
Rating: 4.3/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
This film follows the true story of its writer/director Jennifer Fox, whom at the age of thirteen was taken advantage of and sexually abused. Fox tells her story in parallels, jumping from her older self being reminded of the event and attempting to get closure from it, and her younger self going through the ordeal. Everything is based on "The Tale," Fox's story of it all that she wrote not long after it happened.
This film boasts some incredible performances. Laura Dern plays the older Jennifer, and she is absolutely fantastic. Through her performance you can see the pain everything caused, but also her acceptance of it. There is a scene where she in a way tries to justify it to the man in her life and it is clear that it is a conflict within her. Coming from a constantly at odds family, the feeling of being loved, even if by a man more than twice her age made her feel very special, and Dern portrays the unfortunate acceptance of it very well. Young Jennifer is played by Isabelle Nelisse, and at first I found her performance somewhat wooden, but as the story progressed it was clear that this was just an accurate portrayal of the introverted Jennifer. Most of the supporting cast is nothing special, but they all do a good enough job to give the film a strong level of believability. The one supporting performance that needs mentioning though is Elizabeth Debicki, whom plays Jennifer's horseback riding instructor. There is something about the charisma and charm that Debicki presents that allows her to steal the scene constantly. Jennifer is easily spellbound by her and if Debicki's performance is anything close to the true character then it is easy to understand why.
The filmmaking elements used in this film tend to be on the subtle side, but are nonetheless highly effective. The editing going back and forth from past to present could not have been done better, with graphic matches galore and a strong balance of what part of the story needs to be told when. The cinematography is for the most part standard with some strong shots, but the directing by Fox is on point, with some creative choices that I thought worked beautifully in telling her story. The direction and editing truly makes it feel as though you are being told a story, and that worked really well for me. As for the story itself, this is one of the most powerful we will see this year. It tells a tough story of sexual abuse to a young woman, and that story is made even stronger by seeing the conflict it has caused as she has grown up. We see young Jenny's infatuation with the man that takes advantage of her as well as Elizabeth Debicki's character, and then her older self trying to figure out why she felt that way. It makes for two parallel stories that each hold their own with strong emotional weight. With the growing importance of movements such as "Me Too" and "Times Up" this film could not be more relevant, as we see the filmmaker herself take hold of the wrongdoings against her and shed light on her tough past, not to mention we get an incredible film written and directed by a woman.
This film is important, and I hope more people see it because it is an emotional ride that should not be missed.
Rating: 4.3/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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