HBO's The Tale starring Laura Dern is a searing investigation of past abuse

The Atlantic

Director Jennifer Fox based her movie, airing Saturday, on her real-life relationship with a grown man when she was 13 years old. Fox is played by Laura Dern, with Isabelle Nélisse playing her 13-year-old self. The Tale is tough to watch, but isn't exploitative or lurid, says David Sims. He adds that "Fox's movie is an intensely relevant work that examines how the dark dynamics of authority play into sexual abuse—particularly within the world of athletics, where the trust between coaches and students can be easily exploited. Just as pertinent, though, is the movie’s efforts to understand how memory gets papered over, and how people can explain away their most obvious suffering, even to themselves."