Jodie Foster takes first solo French-language lead in 'A Private Life'

Jodie Foster was in Paris to promote 'A Private Life', the French film in which she takes her first solo lead and performs in fluent, near accent‑less French. The two‑time Oscar winner made the trip despite back pain: a collapsed disc needed surgery and a hip replacement would follow.

Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, the film follows Lilian Steiner, an American psychoanalyst in Paris whose tightly controlled life unravels after the sudden death of a long‑time patient; convinced it was murder, Lilian launches an obsessive private investigation with help from her ex‑husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil).

The film received an enthusiastic ovation at Cannes but opened to mixed reviews in France, with critics faulting the plot while praising the performances and the chemistry between Foster and Auteuil. Zlotowski said, "She has this amazingly weird connection to the language." Foster's French connection goes back to childhood: a France‑obsessed stage mother, a first trip to Paris at age eight, study at a French lycée and a year living in Paris to appear in a French film.

To prepare for Lilian she read French books aloud, immersed herself in Parisian life, met with psychoanalysts, took cello lessons and avoided speaking to Americans for weeks. The film opens in American theaters on Jan.

Key Topics

Culture, Jodie Foster, A Private Life, Paris, Rebecca Zlotowski, Daniel Auteuil