Jodie Foster Gives a Flawless French Performance in ‘A Private Life’

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As a movie fan, I’ve always admired Jodie Foster, and she absolutely delivers in A Private Life. She plays a Parisian psychiatrist, Lilian Steiner, who starts to suspect something terrible has happened to a patient, and her investigation really digs into her own life. It’s a smart, grown-up film—the kind you watch if you like stories that make you think. While it’s a bit complex and doesn’t quite nail every twist, it’s totally captivating and Foster is phenomenal. It’s a layered movie, and even with a few flaws, I found myself completely drawn in.

The story opens with Lilian, an American woman living in France, preparing for her weekly therapy session with Paula Cohen-Solal. Instead of Paula, she receives a furious visit from Pierre, one of her other patients. Pierre is angry because he spent a lot of money on therapy with Lilian to break a habit, but was able to quit in a single session with a hypnotist. He accuses Lilian of being a fraud and demands a refund.

Lilian is deeply disturbed by recent events, but she tries to stay strong for Paula. When Paula doesn’t respond to calls, Lilian grows worried and contacts her. She’s devastated to learn from Valérie, who is pregnant, that Paula has taken her own life. Lilian is shocked, as Paula never showed any signs of being suicidal. A search for answers at Paula’s apartment goes terribly wrong. Paula’s husband, Simon, like Pierre, angrily blames Lilian for Paula’s death.

Lilian is shocked by the accusation and immediately thinks of her ex-husband, Gabriel. She believes Paula was murdered, and tells Gabriel so. Though he still cares for Lilian, Gabriel warns her to be cautious. He’d rather she focus on their son, Julien, and new grandson, but Lilian is determined to find Paula’s killer. She feels it’s her responsibility to solve the case.

Lilian’s journey to become a private investigator quickly becomes chaotic, leading to unforeseen problems. Director Rebecca Zlotowski allows Foster to portray a complex and deeply troubled character – Lilian is grappling with a lot. The death of Paula and the anger of those she tried to assist force Lilian to question her life’s work. She wonders if her career as a psychiatrist has been meaningful, and if she’s truly helped anyone, or if she’s failed her patients just as she feels she failed her family.


Sony Pictures Classics

As always, Jodie Foster delivers a fantastic performance, portraying a character who is shaken but determined. The movie’s second half is full of twists as Lilian takes increasingly dangerous chances, dragging a worried Gabriel into her plan to expose a murderer. Foster makes Lilian incredibly compelling – you root for her even while wondering if she’s become too consumed by the mystery. The line between what’s real and what’s imagined becomes a surprising and intriguing side story, though it doesn’t fully land as intended.

I was really struck by how Zlotowski unexpectedly brought in these flashbacks dealing with anti-Semitism. They showed a completely different side of Lilian and her relationship with Paula, and it was fascinating to see all the characters as Jewish, with the backdrop of WWII France. It was a bold artistic choice, visually stunning, but honestly, it also left me a little confused. I understood how that difficult period impacted everyone, but I wasn’t entirely sure why it was so central to the main mystery or the more fantastical elements of the story. It felt like Zlotowski was trying to do too much at once, and it ended up making the plot really murky and hard to follow.

Let’s break down the film’s central conflict, highlighting its strengths and where the director could have made different choices. The actors Foster and Auteuil, both established French cinema icons, share incredible on-screen chemistry. As they investigate what went wrong in their marriage, Lilian and Gabriel behave like a detective duo, and a familiar attraction rekindles between them, filling a void in both their lives. While their feelings are strong, they’re mature enough to acknowledge boundaries and accept the direction their connection takes them. Ultimately, the evolving relationship between Lilian and Gabriel is the most compelling part of the film.


Sony Pictures Classics

As a film lover, I have to say Zlotowski’s visual style in A Private Life is just stunning. The cinematography and production design work together to create this incredible sense of tension. Every single frame looks fantastic – there’s this beautiful graininess to the film stock. She’s a master of intimacy, using really close-up shots, but then contrasts that with these long overhead views that visually echo the film’s complex, winding story. It never feels hurried; she takes her time showing us both the vibrant energy of Paris and the quiet beauty of the countryside, all bathed in this gorgeous, almost noir-like lighting. Even things like the darkness, the rich colors, and the rain feel both luxurious and a little unsettling – it really adds to the mood.

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The scenes involving the Nazi past are important to the film’s overall message, but they go on for too long. While they initially have a clear purpose, they become overly complicated, particularly regarding Lilian’s relationship with her son, which feels unbelievable. The film would have been stronger if it had focused more tightly on solving the mystery of Paula’s death and Lilian’s journey of self-discovery – that would have better captured the director’s original intent.

The film A Private Life (originally known as Vie Privée) features conversations in French with English subtitles. It’s a production of Les Films Velvet and France 3 Cinéma and will be released in U.S. theaters on January 16th by Sony Pictures Classics.

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2026-01-16 05:06