Hmmmm … a mysterious psychological death involving a not-so-mysterious psychiatrist (!) Not a bad start. What is this film about? Oh, it’s about Jodie Foster speaking French, which apparently she can do. Well, hey, good for her.
Lilian Steiner (Foster) is having a bad day. I imagine being a psychiatrist you’re gonna have your share, huh? One of her patients committed suicide, which must weigh very heavily on the doctor that tends to said patient. On top of this, however, the remaining family blame Lilian.
What do you do with that?
Being a professional, of course, Lilian immediately decides it must be murder. It can’t possibly be my words that drove suicide, right? We want to believe Lilian; she seems like a responsible doctor, and there are things that just don’t add up here. And, yet, the prevailing approach in Act I is “Jodie Foster is totally speaking French!” Europeans, I’m certain, will find this no big deal. Hell, Canadians will find this no big deal. Mexicans will find this no big deal. But Americans? Well … Jodie Foster totally speaks French!
You might need that extra bit of enthusiasm to pull you through this film. A Private Life is one of those rabbit-hole movies where the film sucks you into a mystery and you go wherever it goes. I wish to high heaven this particular rabbit hole was worth diving down. It wasn’t. I’m not going to sugar coat this. You’re here for the Jodie Foster performance and maybe some hot balcony sex in the dark while Lilian is undercover.
The problem 
with all of this is the writing went into the character and not the mystery. Lilian has a love/hate relationship with her ex-husband. Lilian has a love/hate relationship with her adult son. Lilian wants to believe her patient’s death was not her fault but feels guilty about it regardless. And, of course, there’s the part where Lilian is equally as psychologically embattled as any one of her patients. There’s a distinct feeling in this performance of being alone in the world, this is only exacerbated by our own knowledge that Jodie Foster is really an American play-acting at being French.
A Private Life gives us a wonderful performance to pace an iffy mystery. Yes, you’ll want to know how it turns out. But odds are very good you’ll be disappoint with the results.
There once was an American named Lily
In Paris, she practiced psychology
Her career took a hit
When a patient up and quit
Makes you want to return to the states, Madam, oui?
Rated R, 103 Minutes
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writer: Anne Berest, Rebecca Zlotowski, Gaëlle Macé
Genre: Jodie Foster totally speaks French!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: “Jodie Foster totally speaks French!”
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “Yeah, but, the movie … ?”
