Jodie Foster heads a stellar cast in her second language in this frothily entertaining French murder mystery about a neurotic psychiatrist who becomes an amateur sleuth.
The glossy, good-looking production feels like a throwback to French fare from a few decades ago… boosted by an unlikely middle-aged rom-com dream team in Foster and Auteuil.
Vie Privée 2025
| Aug 13 |
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“A fleet, sharp showcase for Jodie Foster and an all-star French cast… this up-tempo comedic murder mystery is a breezy, fun means of showcasing delicious chemistry between legendary actors. Foster plays Lilian, a Paris-based American psychiatrist who learns that her long-term patient Paula (Virginie Efira) has died. An aggressive outburst by Paula’s husband Simon (Mathieu Amalric) at her wake and subsequent meeting with their daughter yield suspicions she did not, as appearances suggest, commit suicide… Becoming more and more obsessed… Lilian starts seeking answers from hypnosis-induced visions, which also lead to repercussions for her failed marriage with Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil)…
Zlotowski’s direction is impressively lively, telling this story with a burst of energy that rarely lets up… The cast is game and consistently watchable. It’s great seeing Foster in a role where she not only brings her trademark steely-eyed intensity but gets to flex comedic muscles… Playing a divorced couple reconnecting through an unexpected death, she and Auteuil have a lot of sharp-tongued back-and-forth, and it’s a delight to see two titans of the craft be so easy around each other, letting sparks fly.” — Zuo-Ning Su, The Film Stage