Vie privée / A Private Life (2025) (American premiere, in person: Jodie Foster)

Rebecca Zlotowski: Vie privée / A Private Life (FR 2025). Jodie Foster as Lilian Steiner.

Yksityinen elämä / Privatliv

Made possible by a donation from Alli & Caroline McConnell

Larry Gross (TFF 2025): "Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster), an American-born psychiatrist living and working in France, suspects foul play when her patient Paula (Virginie Efira) dies suddenly. But as Lilian begins her own investigation, with help from her adoring ex-husband (Daniel Auteuil), she finds herself also discovering her own internal mysteries. Director Rebecca Zlotowski (OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, AN EASY GIRL) works from a script co-written by Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé to artfully weave suspense, psychological drama and surprising flashes of romantic comedy to hugely entertaining effect. Foster’s performance, entirely in French (save for a few memorable English expletives), is a mesmerizing tour de force. The supporting performances from Efira, Auteuil, Mathieu Amalric and Luàna Bajrami (who play Paula’s husband and daughter) match Foster’s intensity and creativity. Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman steals the show with a one-scene appearance." –LG (France, 2025, 107m) In person: Rebecca Zlotowski, Jodie Foster

Finnish premiere: 5 Dec 2025 – released by Future Film

Viewed at Chuck Jones's Cinema, Telluride Film Festival (TFF), 1 Sep 2025

AA: Rebecca Zlotowski's A Private Life is a policier, a mystery story about Paula (Virginie Efira) who dies suddenly. Her psychiatrist / psychoanalyst Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster) has had no clue of any suicidal temptations. Instead she knows secrets that she cannot reveal due to the doctor's vow of confidentiality. There is a great inheritance in Paula's family circle, and another inheritor has also just died. Plus Paula's daughter and husband may have reasons to be resentful to Lilian. In addition, an old patient cuts ties because after many years with Lilian, he has been cured from his nicotine addiction in a single visit to a hypnotist. Even Lilian's own estranged son has reasons to be scornful of his mother's practice, which he has spied upon as a child. Lilian the doctor seems increasingly to land in a role of a mental patient, but his loyal ex (Daniel Auteuil) is there to help her sort this all out.

The film is fascinating, but more confusing than complex. Worth to watch because of the brilliant performances. Jodie Foster may be slightly too highly strung in her performance, although it is certainly an intentional choice. In the screening the sound volume was too loud, and the shrill intensity hampered the movie. The edit is rather too fast to my taste in a story like this.

I have worked together with dozens of mental health professionals in our Cinema and Psyche symposia and book projects, and I cannot recognize the character of Lilian Steiner in any of the colleagues I know in Finland.

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Grace Jones: Private Life (A One Man Show, D: Jean-Paul Goude, US 1982).