By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"A PRIVATE LIFE"--A STYLISH MYSTERY
In the French comedy murder-mystery
"A Private Life," director
Rebecca Zlotowski ("Emmanuelle") crafts a sly, character-driven puzzle anchored by a quietly compelling performance from Jodie Foster.
Foster stars as Liliane Steiner, a prominent Parisian therapist whose carefully ordered life begins to unravel after learning that one of her longtime patients, Paula Cohen-Solal (Virginie Efira, TV's "Everything is Fine"), has died under mysterious circumstances.
Co-written by Zlotowski and
Gaele Mace ("Little Jaffna"), the film opens at a deliberate pace but gradually pulls the viewer in due to Foster's engrossing star turn.
As Liliane, Foster conveys a woman accustomed to control and certainty, now forced to confront doubt, guilt, and the unsettling possibility that she may not have known her patient as well as she believed.
Liliane's doubts intensify when she receives a call from Paula's daughter, Valerie (Luana Bajrami, "A Difficult Year"), who claims her mother died by suicide. Based on years of therapy sessions, Liliane finds the explanation deeply troubling. Paula never exhibited signs of suicidal ideation, nor did she hint at the kind of despair that would lead to such an end.
Things grow even more unsettling when Valerie unexpectedly shows up at Liliane's home, insisting that her father, Simon (an excellent Mathieu Amalric, "The Phoenician Scheme"), may have been responsible for Paula's death.
The accusation raises troubling questions and deepens Liliane's suspicions about what truly happened behind closed doors.
The tension escalates when Liliane finally confronts Simon, who fires back with a blistering accusation and claims her overprescribing medication led directly to Paula's death. With dueling versions of the truth and no clear answers, Liliane is pulled into a self-appointed investigation that blurs professional ethics and personal obsession.
Was there something more going on between Liliane and Paula? Shaken, Liliane turns to her ex-husband Gabriel (a delightful Daniel Auteuil, "An Ordinary Case"), an ophthalmologist who clearly still has a thing for her. His quiet, orderly life gets a jolt when Liliane ropes him into her amateur sleuthing. Before long, the two break into Simon's house in search of evidence, much to the astonishment of their grown son Julien (Vincent Lacoste, "Forty Love"), who never expected his parents to spiral into suburban noir.
"A Private Life" occasionally stumbles, zigzagging from sharp intrigue into clumsy tonal detours, most notably a dreamlike hypnosis sequence that reimagines Liliane and Paula in a World War II musical performance. The shift doesn't quite land.
Yet, the film finds its footing whenever Foster and Auteuil share the screen, their chemistry grounding the story with warmth and kooky wit.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"A PRIVATE LIFE"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
