A PRIVATE LIFE
Special Features: Special Presentation
Jodie Foster impresses in a prickly, funny performance — in French! — as an expat American psychologist living and working in Paris who suspects foul play when her longtime client apparently commits suicide. Foster stars as Dr. Lilian Steiner, an accomplished mental health professional who is suddenly consumed with self-doubt after the unexpected suicide of her longtime client, Paula (Virginie Efira). She is further shaken after being angrily confronted by a dissatisfied former client who claims a hypnotist helped him stop smoking immediately, after years of making no progress with Lilian, from whom he now demands reimbursement. After Lilian’s attempts to contact Paula’s family go horribly wrong — and reveal details that cast doubt on the official explanation of her death — Lilian goes into detective mode, enlisting the help of her ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil). Further family drama and Freudian farce ensue in this quirky curveball of a movie, deftly directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, equal parts murder mystery, psychological thriller and comedic romp. Foster and Auteuil have great comic chemistry together, and the outstanding ensemble cast includes Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste and Luana Bajrami. –Todd Hitchcock
DIR/SCR Rebecca Zlotowski; SCR Anne Berest, Gaëlle Macé; PROD Frédéric Jouve. France, 2025, color, 103 min. In English and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 103 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, December 06, 2025
Genre: Crime drama
