A Private Life Review – An Hitchcockian Psychological Drama, A Must See
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 15 January 2026 11:41
- Written by Janet Walker
A Private Life, from Sony Pictures Classics, presents a psychological thriller, as an American psychiatrist in Paris believes her patient has been murdered and decides unless she uncovers the evidence her death will remain a mystery.
The film begins with Lilian Steiner, played by Jodi Foster, readying her office for a patient. Quickly she hears a loud noise in the hall and opens the door to find Pierre, played by Noam Morgensztern. She explains she has a patient and this is not a good time. He is insistent, now is the time, and proceeds to explain that he has been a patient for eight years, paid her more than 32,000 Euros and she was unable to help him quit smoking. Now in one session of hypnosis, he was cured. She tries to encourage him they can set a date to complete their process, or she could refer him to a colleague. He accuses her of incompetence and storms out angry.
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She calls Paula, played by Virginie Efira, the patient she was expecting. Her call goes to voice mail and Lilian explains she has now missed three sessions, and she will have to pay for the missed appointments. Soon, Paula's daughter, Valerie, played by Luana Bajrami, calls her and explains her mother is dead. She committed suicide. She invites her to the wake. When Lilian arrives, Simon, played by Mathieu Amalric, Paula's husband, faints and when Lilian attempts to help, he screams at her to leave them.
Lilian leaves the wake, and suddenly begins to have trouble with her eyes, and fortunately her ex-husband, Gabriel, played by Daniel Auteuil, is an ophthalmologist, who finds nothing medically wrong.
As Lilian is pulled deeper into her own version of the events that lead to Paula's death, she reaches out to Gabriel hoping to have him confirm her version of the events. As with most noir films, the female is in trouble, and while we continue to witness the events, a break-in at her office, her car vandalized, blood on the vehicle, we know they are either a series on unconnected coincidences or part of a larger plot. She believes they are connected, which reinforces her belief that her patient has been murdered, and somehow the family is now onto her and she is in danger.
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Even with her position, when she attempts to explain to the police, she is treated with disregard.
The plot twists, throughout have the viewer wondering, if Lilian has had her own psychotic break, or if she really is on to something more sinister. Moreover, by this time, more than one patient has inferred she was irresponsible and unqualified. Then her mentor also reiterates a damaging assessment of her psychoanalytical skills.
By now she has crossed the legal line, and with her ex-husband as her only confident, the two are determined to find one piece of evidence that proves or disproves her theory.
This leads to the climatic third act when the past meets the present, old wounds are healed, mysteries solved, and the haunting shadows give way to new beginnings.
A riveting suspense thriller, A Private Life, is a must see.
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The director, Rebecca Zlotowski, blends visual storytelling through the imagery of staircases, primarily descending, to infer the use of therapy, and other forms of enlightenment that are expected to open the mind. And oddly when we meet Julian, played by Vincent Lacoste, Lilian's son, there are no stairs, they are on one level plane, in many other relationship scenes there are many stairs, a few to reignite the relationship with her ex-husband, and many circular stairs descending into the dark places.
Jodie Foster plays Lilian Steiner dynamically and presents a woman on the edge with confidence. There is an underlying sub-plot to her portrayal, she truly appears to be teetering on the precipice. She mixes the authority of her position, a grandiose air, with a genuine and possibly misguided belief, which gives her the freedom to make assertions and comment on behaviors as fact that may only be an outcome of grief or coincidence. Her character smokes in the film, and the director has included the effects of nicotine without a direct comment on the physical damage of smoking.
The film, which is primarily in French, brings together an ensemble cast that each build dramatic elements into the film and deliver exceptional performances with authority.
In true Hitchcockian style, A Private Life blends psychological depth, visual storytelling, and dark humor, with plot twists, and heightened suspense. The riveting film keeps audiences guessing until the end. Exclusively in theaters January 16, 2026. See it.
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Country: France.
Language: French, English with English subtitles.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski.
Producer: Frédéric Jouve.
Executive Producer: Albert Blasius.
Writer: Anne Berest and Rebecca Zlotowski in collaboration with Gaëlle Macé.
Cast: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste, Luana Bajrami, Noam Morgensztern, Sophie Guillemin, Frederick Wiseman, Aurore Clement, Irene Jacob, Ji-Min Park, Jean Chevalier, Emma Ravier, Scott Agnesi Delapierre, Lucas Bleger, Jerome Lenotre.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
