Foster shines in A Private Life

With the song “Psycho Killer” playing over opening credits, A Private Life implies something wrong with at least one of its main characters. Star Jodie Foster already handled a psycho killer pretty well with 

her Oscar winning turn as an FBI agent in Silence of the Lambs, and A Private Life puts her in dangerous situations playing a psychiatrist making a living in Paris. Running her life cooly and smoothly, she hits a series of emotional roadblocks when a client dies under questionable circumstances. Co-writing with Anna Berest and Gaelle Mace’, director Rebecca Zlotowski creates an atmosphere of questions. Not just whodunnit, but did it get done? Potential killers show up, including the psychiatrist herself. Playing the lead, Foster proves her usual—which means totally believable and natural, with the twist that she speaks most of her dialogue in completely fluent French. She swears in English just as a reminder that her character comes from the United States, but otherwise Foster melds seamlessly into the community. She and Daniel Auteuil work especially well together, giving director Zlotowski an edge in eliciting fine performances—the movie’s key bragging point. The mystery also leads to rewarding aspects, though getting there often involves more talk than action; no real surprise when therapy sessions provide key information. Hypnosis adds to the mix, providing surrealistic, dreamy images to change the movie’s pace, a nod to the Alfred Hitchcock rather than Agatha Christie style of mystery.  Though A Private Life lacks those icons’ crowd grabbing techniques, the movie overall offers the pleasures of a satisfying conclusion and fine performances.