A Private Life is a French film that follows psychiatrist Lilian Steiner as she is forced to grapple with the supposed suicide of a patient, but quickly begins to believe that her death was actually a murder.  Jodie Foster plays the leading role of Lilian Steiner, doing her best to bring the most to a script and world that undersold the emotional gravity of its story. There is a mix of themes here, tackling the importance of listening and being present, the powerful nature of opening up, and family dynamics, but due to this massive undertaking, the film struggles to secure its own identity.

Jodie Foster brings a cold and disconnected energy to the part of Lilian Steiner, quickly establishing not only her fear of rejection, but also her fear of being unsuccessful.  In all aspects of her life, she keeps those around her at arm’s length, from her romantic life to her son to her patients.  Her unwillingness to accept that she missed something leading up to her patient Paula’s suicide has her instantly looking for someone to blame. In her search, it is hinted at that there were feelings of romance and intimacy between her and Paula, and even if these were one-sided, the film fails in its attempt to establish this as a relevant plot point and resulting in it bogging down the story rather than elevating it. The screenplay wasn’t committed enough to taking the leap to peel back the layers of Steiner’s character, and it just becomes another unbaked idea hampering the strength of this story.

Beyond Foster’s performance, this film’s true saving grace is its commentary on a society that is obsessed with capturing memories rather than truly living them.  Lilian Steiner ensured that she recorded each and every one of her patient sessions on a tape recorder, but it is never truly established that she takes the time to extensively look back upon said recordings.  In the world today, any major spectacle of event you could think of, you will see an endless crowd of tiny flashes and smartphones out to capture perceived memorable moments.  The reality is that the majority of the time, these photos, recordings, and videos will be forgotten about, and all that was accomplished was pulling an individual out of the present moment, robbing them of truly experiencing them on a deeper level.  This idea plays a significant role in Steiner’s growth as a person in the film, one of the aspects that should be considered a success.  

2 out of 5 stars

A Private Life still lacks any true tension and is a mixed bag of story elements and unrefined plot points that rob the picture of holding real emotional weight.  Foster and the rest of the cast are forced to bring to life a screenplay that feels too bloated, whilst being noncommittal to a thematic vision.