CineNovaTV
Mystery � Thriller � 2026

A Private Life

Olivier Assayas  �  MUBI / Cohen Media

Some cases are better left closed.

DirectorOlivier Assayas
StarsJodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira
StudioMUBI / Cohen Media
Runtime1h 58min � Rated PG-13
7.3
IMDb
81%
RT Score
$6M worldwide
Box Office

Jodie Foster anchors this stylish Franco-American mystery in which a renowned Parisian psychiatrist becomes convinced one of her patients was murdered � and sets out to prove it despite every institutional obstacle placed in her path.

Hitchcock in the 21st Century

Assayas' first English-language film in years is a deliberate Hitchcock homage � glossy, formally elegant, anchored by a central female intelligence that refuses to be gaslit. Foster's Dr. Steiner is the kind of role she was born to play: rigorous, intuitive, certain of what she knows and infuriatingly unable to prove it. The mystery is pleasingly constructed � a patient dies in apparent suicide; Foster is certain it was murder; the French inspector (Daniel Auteuil) is unconvinced. Two formidable intelligences reaching their conclusions by entirely different routes.

"Foster is captivating � a mystery held together by sheer force of her presence. Assayas mixes Hitchcockian suspense with glossy aesthetics and playful camp."

� RT Critics Consensus

The Verdict

An elegant, pleasurable, slightly slight Hitchcock tribute that earns its 81% on Foster's performance alone. Perfect for a Friday night with a glass of wine and a very sharp eye for detail.

? Our Verdict

Jodie Foster anchors this stylish Franco-American mystery in which a renowned Parisian psychiatrist becomes convinced one of her patients was murdered � and sets out to prove it despite every institutional obstacle placed in her path.