Jennifer Fox’s THE TALE: A Portrayal of Child Sexual Violation, the Complexity of Memory, and Family Vulnerability

THE TALE premieres on HBO Saturday, May 26, 2018, at 10 p.m.

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

     I have been involved with award-winning documentarian Jennifer Fox’s first feature film, THE TALE (which she wrote, cast, and directed) since Autumn 2014, but I have known Jennifer and her family far longer. Because of this, I do not only see THE TALE as a groundbreaking study of memory and how the conscious mind comes to terms with the sickening violation of child sexual abuse. I see it also as a shattering depiction of a family I know intimately and love dearly—a study of a child who suffered loneliness and isolation, and of parents who despite loving her deeply did not recognize her vulnerability and pain. What is depicted in this family, through the eyes of a 13-year-old, can happen in each of ours.  

     The film stars Laura Dern as Jennifer; Ellen Burstyn as Jennifer’s mom Gerry; Common as Jennifer’s love interest; and Jessica Sarah Flaum and Isabelle Nélisse, as the young Jennys. It is based on the true story of what Jennifer later came to see as sexual abuse, a violation she saw initially as love—a grooming carefully planned by two trusted mentors, played to perfection by Elizabeth Debicki and Jason Ritter.

     As social workers, we know all too well about the prevalence of sexual abuse of young, vulnerable children by those they trust and that girls are especially vulnerable. Before the #MeToo Movement, which exploded immediately before the launch of THE TALE, writing about this prevalence in reputable newspapers, magazines, and blogs, as well as discussing it in the media, was an uphill battle.

     I met Jennifer Fox when she was six years old, while I was completing my social work degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Jenny was dear to me before I had my own children. I knew her as a wide-eyed, perceptive, private, brilliant child protected by a loving, privileged family—a little girl who liked my thrift shop clothes, asked to play in my closet, and gave a favorite doll my name.

     By the time Jennifer was lured into the perversion of two demented adults, her mother Gerry had become one of my dearest friends, despite the fact that our lives were extremely different.  When Jennifer became an acclaimed documentarian, I applauded the risks she took by speaking truths many were not able to hear or accept.  When I saw “Beirut: The Last Home Movie” (which won the 1988 Sundance grand jury prize), I realized her portrayal was of a family that was a psychological clone to her own. In retrospect, I now see each of Jennifer’s documentary films as a psychological prelude to the realities faced in THE TALE.

     In late 2014, knowing of my work in addressing sexual abuse and domestic violence, Jennifer telephoned me. In a 3-hour lunch meeting that left me shaking, I first learned of her abuse and the screenplay in process that documented it. I also learned something that Gerry had never shared (although I did remember a period during Jennifer’s filming when her mother was frantic to reach her): Cleaning out some drawers, Gerry found a short story that Jennifer had written decades earlier for a 7th grade creative writing class. In this TALE, Jennifer described sexual awakening she saw as love by a trusted coach 25+ years her senior.  Her teacher applauded what she regarded as a fantasy depiction by a gifted student with a vivid imagination. However, Gerry’s perceptions were at last validated by her daughter’s writing. Her suspicions confirmed, Gerry insisted that Jennifer face long denied truths. THE TALE, which unfolds like a mystery story, in essence a tale within a tale, depicts this complex journey to awareness.

     During our time together, Jennifer asked me how abused children heal, and I shared what I have learned:  The best way to heal is through an apology from the abuser.  In more than 40 years as a social worker, I have seen this happen only three times. The next best road to healing is confronting the abuser.  The third is therapy, which I also see as vital as part of the first two. Jennifer and I also discussed the complexities of memory and that one cannot be forced into confronting certain painful truths too quickly or forcefully—that the conscious and unconscious mind best come together when inner strengths and confidence can be forged.   

     As an advisor to THE TALE, I had the stunning experience of being present in January when the film premiered at Sundance.  I had carefully read and studied the script—Sundance was the third time I had seen the film—yet remained thunderstruck by the meticulously accurate portrayal of the process of grooming that those of us who work in the field of sexual violation will recognize as a true and emotionally costly depiction of the death of innocence. I remained shaken, however, not only because of what was endured by a child, but also because I knew each of the characters portrayed so very well. This said, I knew them only through my eyes.

     At the film’s conclusion at Sundance, a pin drop could be heard, and then all stood in thunderous ovation. As I stood, tears streaming down my face, I reminded myself that all unsettling family depictions were made through the eyes of a 13-year-old.

     For in THE TALE, Gerry and her husband, the most loyal and devoted of friends to me as a single mom, fighting for divorce with no family support, and then when I remarried—to my husband, to me, and to each of our four children—and Gerry’s sprightly, fun loving mom, who delighted in quietly treating herself to Elijah’s wine at our family Seder, were pictured as Jenny experienced them—not as I saw them, or as they saw themselves, or hoped to be seen by five children they loved as fully as they could.

     What is also made clear through THE TALE is that regardless of how deeply we love our children, as we do our best to meet personal challenges and live our lives, we will fail them in some ways. We do this never meaning or wanting to, but try as we may, we can never protect them from all of life’s injustices, connivances, and cruelties. They must learn to deal with these themselves, which Jennifer Fox surely has done.

     THE TALE premieres on HBO this Saturday, May 26, 2018, at 10 p.m. It will then be available for home viewing and discussion.  THE TALE is the first film HBO is distributing that it did not make.

     THE TALE will be discussed in a #MacroSW Twitter chat this Thursday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET. The New Social Worker is a media partner of the #MacroSW chats.

     In addition, Jennifer Fox will appear at the NASW 2018 national conference in Washington, DC, on June 22 at noon, where she will discuss THE TALE through several film clips, as well as respond to questions.

     THE TALE is available free of charge to organizations for the purpose of hosting a public screening for a large audience. See the public screening page of THE TALE's website.

SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD, whose private and pro bono clinical social work practice is in Philadelphia, is a certified group psychotherapist and family life educator. She is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of NASW, and the 2013 NASW Media Award for Best Article. SaraKay is the author of Whoever Said Life Is Fair, Setting YourSelf Free, and Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work. Her writing has been published in peer-reviewed journals, newspapers, and blogs. SaraKay's professional life continues to be devoted to highlighting destructive societal forces through communication, advocacy, and activism. Read more about her work at SaraKaySmullens.com.

This article updated 5/23/18 and 7/13/18.