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A Private Life

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A Private Life

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• Thriller
• Crime/detective

• 2025
• Rebecca Zlotowski
• 102 mins
• 15

Summary

The renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered. French thriller with English subtitles

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Chezelle Bingham

Director Rebecca Zlotowski adds a refreshing entry to the whodunnit canon with this sophisticated mystery, led by a superb Jodie Foster. The star gets to show off her fluency in French as Lilian Steiner, a cigarette-smoking American in Paris who already has enough problems of her own when she finds out one of her patients, Paula (Virginie Efira), has died. Officially, it's a suicide, but not everything adds up, and when Lilian finds herself suspecting foul play, she quickly appoints herself lead detective to find out the truth - which, of course, leads her down a bumpy road. Moments of surrealism heighten an already sharp script from Zlotowski and co-writers Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé, while a slick cast, including an ethereal Efira as Paula and a charismatic Daniel Auteuil as Lilian's ex-husband, are equally impressive. Though a few small narrative misfires and a somewhat anticlimactic conclusion might prove bothersome, they're small prices to pay for such a witty, stylish little tale.

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5.9/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameLilian SteinerJodie FosterGabriel HaddadDaniel AuteuilPaula Cohen-SolalVirginie EfiraSimon Cohen-SolalMathieu AmalricJulian Haddad-ParkVincent LacosteDr Goldstein, Lilian's mentorFrederick WisemanPerle FriedmanAurore ClémentVeraIrène Jacob

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Crew

rolenameDirectorRebecca Zlotowski

Details

Theatrical distributor

Altitude

Released on

2026-06-26

Languages

English | Yiddish | German | French

Guidance

Violence, swearing, a sex scene, nudity

Formats

Colour

News & features about A Private Life

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  A Private Life review: Jodie Foster is completely captivating in refreshing, French-language whodunnit ★★★★☆
  
  Director Rebecca Zlotowski has another admirable feature on her hands with this finely acted, character-driven mystery.

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