French Film Festival UK 2025 – A Private Life ★★★★

Released: 6 March 2026

Director: Rebecca Zlotowski

Starring: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste, Luana Bajrami

Listening is such an essential tool for communication and is a skill that psychiatrists are assumed to be in possession of in abundance. The typical image of a psychiatrist is often associated with patients lying on couches revealing their innermost secrets to a patient psychiatrist, which is an aspect explored within A Private Life, starring Jodie Foster as the psychiatrist Lilian Steiner, which follows an unconventional premise. But our other senses, such as our eyes, can also be employed to convey empathy. Lilian is also unique in this degree as she portrays the portrait of a weeping therapist whose inner emotions contradict her formal, logical outward demeanour. That theme in itself would relate to many Freudian theories of psychoanalysis which would be equally as applicable to Lilian, who demonstrates complex mother-son detachment issues, as they are to her patients! Therefore, this is no ordinary psychological drama when one of Lilian’s patients dies unexpectedly, presumed murdered, prompting Lilian to turn into a super sleuth akin to Jessica Fletcher and don an investigative hat.

The result is that A Private Life is a slick, quirky fusion of French and American murder mystery thriller genres with a dose of black comedy for good measure! The title itself is a play on words, in French, indicating both a private life and a deprived life and unveils the continuous juxtaposition shared by both Lilian and her patients alike. Quite frankly, Foster looks as though she is having the time of her life, as Lilian, channelling Clarice Starling’s (from Silence of the Lambs) no nonsense questioning with a dash of slapstick delivering impeccable wit, comedic timing and perfectly fluent spoken French. Plus, the chemistry between her and leading French actor Daniel Auteuil’s character Gabriel – a supportive ex, sizzles and titillates onscreen with superb sensuality!

Thus, A Private Life has several winning elements as it unfolds with suspense filled drama à la Claude Chabrol, and even Hitchcock, with twists and turns to make audiences gasp, ‘Oh, la, la’. The assured direction from Rebecca Zlotowski (director of Other People’s Children) assists to create a moody, sultry sense of the dramatic with thunderstorms and shadows emphasised to provide that unsettling sense of the unknown. All of which mainly works to establish a sense of the foreboding, combined with heavy piano chords in the score, particularly during those moments where we should suspend our disbelief at the idea of these ordinary citizens undertaking investigations where the police fail to – yet, somehow it all fits together effortlessly!

An incredibly tense atmosphere is masterfully built up by Zlotowski throughout the runtime allowing A Private Life to retain that anxiety fuelled edge. The noisy neighbours playing music at the top of the staircase in Lilian’s building will resonate for many as a stress filled moment. But, oh, those stairs deserve their own recognition – they are winding, stylishly stunning and a character device seen in many French thrillers, such as those from Chabrol, which evoke that feeling of elegant aesthetics. Lilian’s office itself is the epitome of style and seems to have many hidden corners thereby accentuating that uneasy sensation when Lilian potentially encounters dangerous scenarios whilst investigating. These mysterious insights, as well as skilful camera edits, create that atmospheric sense of secrecy and reel audiences in to the film’s spell. Audiences unfamiliar with French cinema are bound to become converts due to Foster’s ease in providing a stellar performance within this French production.

Indeed, all of those ingredients have created the perfect vehicle for Foster in this film. Yet, there are some far fetched moments, which can be forgiven, when the film examines the psychological theories of the subconscious with further analysis of the psyche, resulting in an uneven tone within the film. Preferably, the focus should remain on the comedic and sensual antics between Lilian and her ex as the dynamic duo that we never knew that we needed! Their pairing is charming and amusing and that French-American synergy goes hand in hand like a well choreographed dance.

Auteuil’s Gabriel, whilst a ‘nice guy’ on the surface does seem to express some suspicious tendencies himself as Lilian’s ex – he prefers adopting the role of Lilian’s protector during her time of need and would therefore provide substantial material for a therapy session himself! However, their past relationship may have also been an intriguing dynamic to analyse but unfortunately Zlotowski chooses to leave this area largely unexplored until Lilian’s journey of self-discovery, via her murder investigations, leads her to make some realisations about herself.

A Private Life is one of those rich, multi-faceted stories that is exciting to delve into. Foster is remarkable in this role and is paired with a superb cast. Virginie Efira is woefully underused, as Lilian’s deceased patient Paula, but that seems to fit in to the overall sense of underlying mystery and that concept of listening to the silent. Perhaps there are sufficient untied threads remaining, which is one criticism of the film’s unresolved tangents, to create a film franchise with more of Lilian and Gabriel’s intoxicating repartee! With an engaging suspense film of this high quality, more entertaining adventures with Foster and Auteuil would be a welcomed addition to the French film canon!