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6.7
Les Films Velvet Acclaimed

A Private Life

A French psychological mystery in which a respected psychiatrist investigates a patient's suspicious death while confronting uncertainty in her own personal life.

2025 103 min R
Critic6.7
Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Trailer

Overview

Renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner becomes deeply troubled by the sudden death of one of her patients. Convinced that the woman was murdered, she begins a private investigation that unsettles both her professional certainty and personal life.
Story 6.4
Acting 8.2
Direction 7.1
Cinematography 7.3
Music 7.2
Pacing 6.2
Originality 7.4
Emotional Impact 6.6
Overall 6.7

Editorial Review

By FindEdition Cinema Desk

6.7 /10

A genre-shifting mystery

The film moves between murder mystery, psychological drama, dark comedy and late-life romance. Its tonal changes make the investigation unpredictable, although the competing ideas occasionally weaken the narrative focus.

Jodie Foster's performance

Jodie Foster gives the film its strongest center. Her controlled French-language performance captures Lilian's intelligence, emotional distance and growing uncertainty without reducing the character to a conventional amateur detective.

Foster and Auteuil

The relaxed chemistry between Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil adds warmth and humor. Their characters' personal history provides an engaging emotional counterweight to the increasingly strange investigation.

Direction and presentation

Rebecca Zlotowski presents Paris with polished visuals and uses dreamlike psychological passages to blur memory, interpretation and reality. The approach is distinctive, even when every narrative strand does not fully connect.

Pros

  • Commanding French-language performance by Jodie Foster
  • Warm chemistry between Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil
  • Distinctive blend of mystery, comedy and psychological drama
  • Polished Parisian cinematography
  • Original adult-focused story

Cons

  • Frequent tonal shifts may feel uneven
  • Some plot threads are underdeveloped
  • The mystery becomes increasingly convoluted
  • Supporting characters receive limited development
Verdict A playful and unconventional psychological mystery anchored by Jodie Foster's assured French-language performance.

AI Review

A French psychological mystery in which a respected psychiatrist investigates a patient's suspicious death while confronting uncertainty in her own personal life.

A playful and unconventional psychological mystery anchored by Jodie Foster's assured French-language performance.

Recommended for viewers who enjoy character-driven European mysteries, psychological dramas and unconventional detective stories.

Awards

Lumière Awards

Best Actress — Jodie Foster · Nominated

Lumière Awards

Best Music — Robin Coudert · Nominated

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards

Best Actress — Jodie Foster · Nominated

Timeline

Release Date
Theatrical Date
Digital Date
Physical Date
Premiere
Festival
Status
Development

Rebecca Zlotowski developed the original screenplay with Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé, writing the central role of Lilian Steiner for Jodie Foster.

Principal photography

Filming began in France on September 30, 2024 and concluded on November 22, 2024, with production taking place in Paris and Normandy.

International sales

Goodfellas introduced the project to international buyers and secured distribution agreements across multiple territories.

Festival premiere

The completed film premiered Out of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2025.

Theatrical release

Ad Vitam released the film in France on November 26, 2025. Sony Pictures Classics released it in the United States after an awards-qualifying run.

Home entertainment

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment scheduled the United States video release for March 3, 2026.

Lumière Awards

Best Actress — Jodie Foster Nominated

Lumière Awards

Best Music — Robin Coudert Nominated

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards

Best Actress — Jodie Foster Nominated

Production

Development

Rebecca Zlotowski developed the original screenplay with Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé, writing the central role of Lilian Steiner for Jodie Foster.

Principal photography

Filming began in France on September 30, 2024 and concluded on November 22, 2024, with production taking place in Paris and Normandy.

International sales

Goodfellas introduced the project to international buyers and secured distribution agreements across multiple territories.

Festival premiere

The completed film premiered Out of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2025.

Theatrical release

Ad Vitam released the film in France on November 26, 2025. Sony Pictures Classics released it in the United States after an awards-qualifying run.

Home entertainment

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment scheduled the United States video release for March 3, 2026.

Cast

Jodie Foster Lilian Steiner
Daniel Auteuil Gabriel Haddad
Virginie Efira Paula Cohen-Solal
Mathieu Amalric Simon Cohen-Solal
Vincent Lacoste Julien Haddad-Park
Luàna Bajrami Valérie Cohen-Solal
Frederick Wiseman Dr. Goldstein
Irène Jacob

Characters

Lilian Steiner Jodie Foster
Gabriel Haddad Daniel Auteuil
Paula Cohen-Solal Virginie Efira
Simon Cohen-Solal Mathieu Amalric
Julien Haddad-Park Vincent Lacoste
Valérie Cohen-Solal Luàna Bajrami
Dr. Goldstein Frederick Wiseman

Crew

Rebecca Zlotowski Director
Rebecca Zlotowski Writer
Anne Berest Writer
Gaëlle Macé Writer
Frédéric Jouve Producer
Robin Coudert Composer
George Lechaptois Cinematographer
Géraldine Mangenot Editor
Katia Wyszkop Production Designer
Bénédicte Mouret Costume Designer
Thomas Desjonquères Sound Editor

Videos

Official Trailer

Soundtrack

  1. Original Motion Picture Score — Robin Coudert

Trivia

  • A Private Life is Jodie Foster's first leading performance delivered primarily in French.
  • The film had its world premiere Out of Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
  • Principal photography took place in Paris and Normandy during autumn 2024.
  • Jodie Foster prepared for the dialogue-heavy French role by immersing herself in the language before filming.

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