A standout performance from Jodie Foster leads A Private Life, an amusing murder mystery tale that delivers a quirky script.
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Original Title: Vie Privée
Genre: Thriller, Murder Mystery
Run Time: 103′
Rated: R
BFI London Film Festival Screening: October , 2025
U.S. Release Date: January 16, 2026
U.K. & Ireland Release Date: March 6, 2026
Jodie Foster’s self-assured character Dr Lilian Steiner gives Benoit Blanc (of the Knives Out franchise) a run for his money in A Private Life (Vie Privée). Lilian is a psychiatrist, a profession she’s dedicated her whole life to. When she receives a phone call with the news that Paula (Virginie Efira, of Benedetta), a long time patient of hers, has died, she begins investigating as she doesn’t believe the declared cause of death to be true. She believes it’s murder, not suicide. The more she learns, the more her own convoluted life unravels beneath her, leaving Lilian with more questions than she began with.
How much does a doctor really know their patient? Lilian believed she knew everything about Paula; after all, she confided every little secret in her. A call from Paula’s peculiar daughter Valérie (Luàna Bajrami) changes everything. Her perspective shifts when meeting Paula’s family, too, especially her deceitful husband, who yells at Lilian for turning up to the Shemira. Thankfully for Lilian, she has recorded every session with every patient, and can backtrack, giving both the audience, and herself, an insight into what Paula was really like, particularly in those final few sessions.
A murder mystery story is at the heart of A Private Life. However, the trickled in lines of comedy make it much more enjoyable. It may not be an ensemble film like Knives Out, or a courtroom whodunit drama like Anatomy of a Fall, but it has its own distinct charm. The script itself, written by a trio of women (Anne Berest, Gaëlle Macé and Rebecca Zlotowski), is great and unpredictable, and a lead performance from Foster makes the film a success. Her first lead French speaking role is an absolute win. It also helps that she plays a likeable character, one who is determined to find out the truth.
The journey Lilian goes on not only reveals the enigma behind Paula, but the sometimes tedious past that she has had. We learn more about her ex husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil, of Caché) and her now adult son Julien (Vincent Lacoste), who she spends little to no time with, even now she’s a grandma to his child. She seems to have strayed from Julien after her divorce, and visits him only if she needs something ordered on the internet. Lilian and Gabriel’s relationship is complicated as they still get on and can reminisce about the past; they just can’t be together romantically anymore.
A Private Life draws you in with Foster and keeps you hooked for the entire 100 minutes with a witty script. Everything is explored enough to have a resolution at the end that leaves no questions. Zlotowski’s directing proves her again to be a successful director and writer in the drama genre. It’s a remarkable follow up to Other People’s Children, also starring Efira.
A Private Life (Vie Privée): Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
A psychiatrist goes looking for answers when a patient of hers dies under a circumstance she doesn’t believe to be true.
Pros:
- Jodie Foster gives an amusing lead performance proving yet again her versatility
- Mystery around every corner, hooking you in from the very start
- Great witty one liners that leave you laughing even after the film has finished
Cons:
- Whilst it’s a fun time, there are other better murder mystery films out there
A Private Life (Vie Privée) will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on 9-11 October, 2025. The film will be released in US theaters on January 16, 2026 and in UK and Irish cinemas on 6 March, 2026.
