A Private Life is a French film starring Jodie Foster as a psychoanalyst navigating what might be a murder mystery. It’s a psychological thriller (kind of), and a complex character study, and while it is très, très French, with elements that feel like a fever dream, Foster’s presence will keep you glued. She has a face you could watch for ever. It moves. It’s expressive. It captivates. She hasn’t meddled with it. ‘I don’t want to be some Botoxed weirdo,’ she has said. It makes such a refreshing change to see a 63-year-old woman who looks like a 63-year-old woman rather than a haunted doll. In fact, if it weren’t for her and Frances McDormand, it would probably be game over.
It is très, très French, with elements that feel like a fever dream, but Foster will keep you glued
Foster – who speaks fluent French – is Lilian Steiner, an American who relocated to Paris many years ago and has built up a successful practice. She lives a tasteful life. Her clothes are tasteful. I’d kill for her coat. And scarf. Her apartment is tasteful, and it’s located in an elegant period building with one of those magnificent spiral staircases. A nod to Vertigo, perhaps. So much taste, but even before anything happens, we’re drawn to what is going on beneath.
