A Private Life

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1:47

A Private Life

R

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1h 45m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

81%

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100 Reviews

61%

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100+ Ratings

When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate....

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Critics Consensus

A Private Life mixes Hitchcockian suspense, glossy aesthetics, and a playful streak of camp into an entertaining if somewhat slight mystery that's held together by Jodie Foster's captivating presence.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

4d

3.5/4

Jodie Foster works magic like that onscreen and presents us with one of the most fully developed, certainly fascinating characters you will likely encounter this year in director/ co-screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski’s French noirish black comedy.

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

4d

3.5/4

A Private Life is a murder mystery only on its surface; at its heart, it’s an exploration of a lonely woman’s extremely active mind, and an unexpectedly moving story of becoming more present in one’s real life, rather than one’s imaginary one.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

6d

3/4

In America, it might be called a mess, and at times this movie sags. But overall, there’s something about it that holds interest. “A Private Life” is an odd ramble that eventually arrives somewhere.

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Alison Gillmor

Winnipeg Free Press

16h

3/5

By its anticlimactic conclusion, this would-be psychological thriller is held together only by the astonishing centrifugal force of star Jodie Foster.

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Alex Bentley

CultureMap

22h

A Private Life is not the type of thriller that American audiences might be used to, but its slow, methodical storytelling and subtle humor make it an interesting watch from beginning to end.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

1d

Though "A Private Life" is not billed as a comedy, Foster is funny it, which is not her customary genre.

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John B

17h

Confusing plot. Hard to understand what was going on.

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Elli65

1d

Great chemistry between Jody Foster and Auteuil. Well written script.

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jesse v

1d

This mystery desperately needed Mel Blanc to be the detective because the main character is such an unlikeable scatterbrain that never takes things with a grain of salt. Also Jodie had to unnecessarily speak English here to get it approved by Sony Classics. Also screw the director for using AI for one unnecessary scene.

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nina e

1d

Exemplifies Fosters language ability, but also her mono -tonality. Generally, French films exude more emotion, intrigue, nuance. This was fairly flat. Story line was somewhat interesting, but hardly worth a movie. At least we werent bombarded with beautiful ppl. Not even one.

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Thomas

2d

Meandering, pointless, laborious and downright boring. Was able to catch a quick nap during the second half. If it was not in french and set in Paris people would be asking "why did a compelling actress like Jodi Foster agree to this. Did she lose a bet?"

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Elizabeth

2d

An American psychiatrist in Paris, unhinged by a patient’s sudden death, tries to solve the mystery with her bumbling ex-husband. Is this a cri de coeur from a woman of a certain age? A turning point in a lazy career? A French version of ‘Only Murders in the Building’? The film struggles to decide whether it aspires to Alfred Hitchcock or Woody Allen. Give it a pass.

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Rebecca Zlotowski

Director

Jodie Foster

Lilian Steiner

Daniel Auteuil

Gabriel Haddad

Virginie Efira

Paula Cohen-Solal

Mathieu Amalric

Simon Cohen-Solal

Vincent Lacoste

Julien Haddad-Park

A Private Life: Trailer 1

1:47

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Synopsis

When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate....

Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Producer: Frédéric Jouve
Screenwriter: Rebecca Zlotowski, Anne Berest, Gaëlle Macé
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Les Films Velvet, France 3 Cinéma
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Brief Violence|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 45m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)