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A Private Life Opens to Praise for Jodie Foster’s French-Language Performance, Questions on Uneven Plot

Early reviews cite hypnosis with past-life detours as bold swings that leave the mystery less cohesive.

Overview

  • Released January 16, the film from director Rebecca Zlotowski follows a Paris psychiatrist whose patient’s death ruled a suicide sparks an off-book investigation.
  • Jodie Foster performs almost entirely in French, with critics noting her fluency and a layered portrayal of midlife vulnerability.
  • Hypnosis sessions and spiritual or past-life visions shape the protagonist’s pursuit, a choice reviewers describe as polarizing.
  • Reviewers praise character-focused moments, including a rekindled rapport with an ex-husband, while calling the screenplay uneven with underdeveloped threads.
  • The ensemble includes Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Vincent Lacoste, Mathieu Amalric, Irène Jacob, Aurore Clément, Park Ji-Min, and Frederick Wiseman.