A Private Life

Jodie Foster plays renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner, as reserved and distant in her profession as in her personal relationships. Initially irritated that a client of nine years, Paula (Virginie Efira), has failed to turn up for her sessions, Lilian is horrified to learn that she’s dead. She becomes convinced that she’s been murdered, with her client’s husband (Mathieu Amalric) being the prime suspect. Lilian investigates, aided by her ex-husband (Daniel Auteuil) and also a hypnotist, whose sessions lead Lilian to visions of the past that she hopes will help solve the mysteries of the present. Alongside a cast of some of France’s best and Frederick Wiseman, Foster proves herself as brilliant an actress in the French language as in English.