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A Private Life

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for A Private Life In Theaters Jan 16 1h 45m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 33 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate....
Coming Soon In Theaters Jan 16 Reserve Tickets
A Private Life

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A Private Life mixes Hitchcockian suspense, glossy aesthetics, and a playful streak of camp into an entertaining if somewhat slight mystery that's held together by Jodie Foster's captivating presence.

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Cast & Crew

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Rebecca Zlotowski

Director

Jodie Foster

Lilian Steiner

Daniel Auteuil

Gabriel Haddad

Virginie Efira

Paula Cohen-Solal

Mathieu Amalric

Simon Cohen-Solal

Vincent Lacoste

Julien Haddad-Park

Critics Reviews

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David Robb Slant Magazine Dec 4
2.5/4
The film’s brisk pace does partly compensate for the essential banality of the central investigation. Go to Full Review Kyle Smith Wall Street Journal Oct 16
Larkish if not particularly deep, the movie features an attractive rapport between the two leads. Go to Full Review Drew Gregory Autostraddle Sep 11
There’s a lightness to Zlotowski's work, even when dealing with suicide and murder, its depth and devastation hidden in only a couple lines of dialogue or a single frame. Go to Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Dec 8
4/5
Director Rebecca Zlotowski and cowriter Anne Berest pack the narrative with twists and turns that keep us guessing about the truth. Go to Full Review Robert Kojder Flickering Myth Dec 7
3/5
This is an entertaining mystery with some compelling character work and an engrossing, controlled spiral of a bumbling performance from Jodie Foster Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) Dec 5
I will say, it’s very queer, it’s weird in the same way that Zlotowski’s Planetarium was, and both Foster and the great Mathieu Amalric are fantastic. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
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A Private Life

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A Private Life

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Movie Info

Synopsis When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate....
Director
Rebecca Zlotowski
Producer
Frédéric Jouve
Screenwriter
Rebecca Zlotowski, Anne Berest, Gaëlle Macé
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Les Films Velvet, France 3 Cinéma
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
French
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 16, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 45m