Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Wow. Not an easy movie to watch at all. But it is such a necessary movie to watch for survivors of this type of situation. I also did not want to admit I had been a victim. I wanted to feel it was a consensual act. Looking back on my childhood as an adult makes me sick. Thinking about the older men who showed interest in me when I was 12, 13, 14... When I was that age, I was flattered. An older man liked me and paid attention to me. Now as an adult, I can't imagine looking at a child in such a way. The fact that Jennifer Fox was willing to share her experience this openly is amazing. I don't know that I could expose myself that way. There was a large lump in my chest the whole movie and I was definitely moved to tears and spent a lot of time reflecting on some of my experiences as a child afterwards, but the fact that the predator was such an attractive and nice person outwardly needed to be conveyed as they usually have greasy hair or are balding and are easy for the viewer to identify as untrustworthy. Is it a movie one would need to watch over and over? No. But it is definitely worth one watch. If for nothing more than Isabelle Nélisse. She is an amazing young actress and I can't wait to see her in future movies.

The self-reflection of the victim has become the first step in redemption. The healing of universal pain has become an artistic source through subjective recall. The film finds a mainstream breakthrough between the social accountability of realism and the self-deconstruction of modernism, which is neither cynical nor contemptuous. Of course, the effect of the "extreme" finish on both sides may be somewhat tricky, but it is still sufficiently self-consistent in the original context of the film.

This is a masterpiece. Jennifer Fox is a genius. Writing and directing? Amazing. And, apparently, she actually wrote the story at age 13 that this movie is based on. Wow. The directing is so subtle, the mixture of past and present, the interaction of the characters, the woman and her mother. Stellar performances by all. P.S. The subject matter, sexual abuse of a minor, is not everyone's cup of tea. If you're offended by it, or don't think it's important enough to have its own movie, don't watch "The Tale." I wasn't familiar with it until I became a therapist, but now I know it occurs and is a devastating and life-altering experience. This movie handles it fantastically. But if you don't want to see a film about it, don't watch this movie. Jennifer Fox, you are brilliant. Please keep going. Have you got another one of these for us?

Jennifer Fox (Laura Dern) is a globe-trotting documentarian. She's engaged to Martin (Common) for the past 3 years and they're both often away for work. She teaches documentary filmmaking at a college. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is desperate to contact her after finding her old writing assignment. The memories of a childhood relationship resurface. She slowly investigates the scattered pieces of recollections. During the 70's, Jenny (Isabelle Nélisse) was a shy girl at 13. Her parents were fighting and she felt invisible. She worshipped her horse riding coach Mrs. G (Elizabeth Debicki). Mrs. G and running coach Bill Allens (Jason Ritter) were having an affair. They pulled Jenny into their secret relationship of which Bill took advantage.This HBO film tells a devastating tale. Laura Dern's performance is a nice growth from denial to realization. It's all on her face like when her student recounts her first sexual experience. Other standouts include Nélisse as the young Jenny and Jason Ritter. Nélisse is perfectly innocent and Ritter uses his personable charms to deviate from the normal creep trope. It's quite horrific. Obviously, this is a personal movie for filmmaker Jennifer Fox. It would have added to the reality of the movie if young Jenny read the assignment writing at the beginning of the movie. Better yet if young Jenny read Jennifer Fox's actual letter. It would be that much more poignant. Overall, this is devastating personal tale with a great performance.