A Private Life, 2025.
Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski.
Starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, and Mathieu Amalric.
SYNOPSIS:
The renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered.
Jodie Foster has already achieved so much in her career, from child actress to double Oscar winner and a well-regarded director, and now she tries something new with a role entirely in French in Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life (Vie privée). Foster plays Lilian Steiner, a celebrated psychoanalyst based in Paris, and it is an accomplished French language debut performance from Foster in a film that plays with what we expect from it.
It’s clear from the opening scene that it is far from orthodox, beginning with Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer over a memorable title sequence full of vibrant reds. We then cut to a stormy night with Lilian, waiting for her patient Paula (Virginie Efra), who is late for another appointment. It soon transpires that Paula has died, apparently from suicide. This causes Lilian to question their interactions and whether Paula had suicidal tendencies, and whether this may in fact have been murder.
From here, Lilian becomes somewhat of a Miss Marple figure, investigating those closest to Paula, even consulting a medium in one of the most creative and memorable sequences in the film. This comes after one of her patients claimed the medium made him give up smoking, something Lilian had failed to do over years of expensive appointments. There are shades of Hitchcock as Lilian gets sucked into what seems a complex mystery involving inheritance and infidelity. There are several suspects, including Valérie, Paula’s daughter, and her husband, Simon (Mathieu Amalric), a man deeply distrustful of Lilian.
Foster carries the film effortlessly, and you wouldn’t know it was her debut French role, coming across completely natural. She is rarely off-screen and sucks into Lilian’s confused state. She is also ably supported by Daniel Auteuil as her ex-husband Gabriel, whisked along for the ride, keen to support Lilian in her investigations. Almaric, always a dependable actor, is memorable in a smaller but no less crucial role as Simon, someone who has all the motive, but how involved in Paula’s death was he?
Zlotowski keeps us on our toes with hints of ghost stories and shades of the gothic, bringing an unnerving atmosphere. There is plenty of humour throughout, particularly in the chemistry between Foster and Auteuil.
A Private Life is a winning French-language role for Jodie Foster, utterly compelling as she finds herself dedicated to finding out the truth at all costs. The clever writing and upending of expectations keep us guessing and stop it from feeling derivative, further cementing Rebecca Zlotowski as a singular voice.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★★
Chris Connor
