A Private Life

Is there any greater mystery than other people’s lives? A stupefying enigma crosses Lilian’s path - an American psychiatrist living in Paris who makes a living through tracing (and clinically diagnosing) the innermost aspects of the human psyche - when one of her patients is found dead. Evidence suggests it’s a suicide - but could a different methodology, one that questions the saying “one should not air one’s dirty laundry in public,” lead to a different conclusion? And could it be that the audio recording used by Lilian to document her sessions contain messages that call for a different kind of deciphering? By inviting the ever-exquisite Jodie Foster to deliver a performance in her second language (the charismatic actress attended a French school, and even voices her own films in French if the need arises) and surrounding her with a harmonious blend of the old and new vanguard of French cinema (Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric), Rebecca Zlotowski unlocks our subconscious, as if we were entranced under a hypnotist’s spell. Keep an eye out for the iconic documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, who is making his first appearance in front of the camera lens here, in a surprise role.