The plot is very messy and incoherent. This is the only issue I have with The Tale, but it's definitely a grave one. I won't be lying if I said that sometimes I couldn't even tell what was Jennifer, our protagonist, wanted to know, or what she was trying to discover. All I wanted is a specific aim, and that shouldn't have been hard to achieve.
But there are so many things that can redeem this film. All the performances are great; Elizabeth Debicki is wonderful as Jennifer's riding teacher, and I didn't even realize that she has these masterful acting abilties. Laura Dern is very good as Jennifer, but I think Isabelle Nélisse who played the same character at the age of 13 is the real star in this movie. She excellently balanced between the innocence and the cruelty; as the movie mixed between the past and the present.
By the way, this is one of the most important things that made this movie so intense. Jennifer Fox, as a director, used the technique of mixing the past with the present to create some sort of an unsettling atmosphere that made this movie so difficult to watch. Also, there is a particular scene in which this technique was used, that I consider as the best scene of the movie, and one of the best movie scenes this year so far.
Another great decision the director made is retelling Jennifer's story every time she discovers something new about her past. That made me that every new piece of information is like a clever twist.
There are plenty of moments that will make you feel nervous. Moments that will put you into Jennifer's shoes, and make you keep wondering what this character will do to her? what this character's answer will be like? Is this is even the truth?
As you can see there are many great things in terms of the directing, and that means that Jennifer Fox's directorial debut is very successful. But it's her writing abilities that need to be developed.
(7/10)
But there are so many things that can redeem this film. All the performances are great; Elizabeth Debicki is wonderful as Jennifer's riding teacher, and I didn't even realize that she has these masterful acting abilties. Laura Dern is very good as Jennifer, but I think Isabelle Nélisse who played the same character at the age of 13 is the real star in this movie. She excellently balanced between the innocence and the cruelty; as the movie mixed between the past and the present.
By the way, this is one of the most important things that made this movie so intense. Jennifer Fox, as a director, used the technique of mixing the past with the present to create some sort of an unsettling atmosphere that made this movie so difficult to watch. Also, there is a particular scene in which this technique was used, that I consider as the best scene of the movie, and one of the best movie scenes this year so far.
Another great decision the director made is retelling Jennifer's story every time she discovers something new about her past. That made me that every new piece of information is like a clever twist.
There are plenty of moments that will make you feel nervous. Moments that will put you into Jennifer's shoes, and make you keep wondering what this character will do to her? what this character's answer will be like? Is this is even the truth?
As you can see there are many great things in terms of the directing, and that means that Jennifer Fox's directorial debut is very successful. But it's her writing abilities that need to be developed.
(7/10)