<Tr> <Th> Country </Th> <Td> United States </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Language </Th> <Td> English </Td> </Tr> <P> The Tale is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Jennifer Fox . The film tells the story about Fox's own childhood sexual abuse and how it affects her later relationships . The Tale stars Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Isabelle Nélisse, Common, Frances Conroy, and John Heard . It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO on May 26, 2018 . </P> <P> Jennifer Fox is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and professor in her 40s when her mother, Nettie, calls her in alarm after discovering an essay she wrote when she was 13 . The essay is about a "relationship" Jennifer had when she was 13 which she dismisses as upsetting her mother because her boyfriend was "older". </P>

What is the hbo movie the tale about