At a thrilling point of suspense inJodie Foster’snew movie, “A Private Life,” Foster’s character,Lilian Steiner, an American psychoanalyst residing in France who begins to suspect something is amiss following the sudden and unexplained death of one of her long-time patients, steps out of her usual role—so to speak. Attempting to contact a hypnotist she believes holds the key to the puzzle she has become entangled in,LilianHits a dead end. The hypnotist is unwilling to speak. “It’s Friday,” the hypnotist says to Lilian. “I have a train to catch. I’m busy on Monday, and then I’m going on vacation.” After being hung up on,Lilian grumbles. “‘Vacances.’ F**king French!”
Like the rest of Rebecca Zlotowski’s captivating film, this moment of character development in “A Private Life” — or, in its original French, “Vie Privée” — skillfully blends French cinema with American perspectives. After overcoming the initial surprise, admiration, and jealousy of seeing Foster in her first leading role in a French-language film, it’s easy to be carried away by the seasoned actress’s refined and effortless command of the language. Before long, Foster’s dedicated performance and Zlotowski’s outstanding directing style make the language aspect fade into the background. When this scene with the hypnotist takes place roughly an hour into the movie, the illusion is momentarily broken. The audience returns to reality and recalls that, like Foster,Lilianis American, and her native language is English. However, this clever piece of dialogue does not disrupt Zlotowski’s spell; instead, it strengthens its impact. Soon after, Foster seamlessly returns to French, and apart from a few more deliberate character mistakes throughout the movie, Foster’s speech remains flawless. Her pronunciation is genuine and effortless. Even her attitude becomes more relaxed as the language flows freely. It’s captivating to watch.
(Jérôme Prébois)Jodie Foster in “A Private Life”
How peculiar that is. It shouldn’t be so surprising to see an American actor speak effortlessly in a different language. And still, this occurrence continues to amaze people and leave them in disbelief. Occasionally, a press tour will takeBradley Cooperto Paris, where he frequently uses French during interviews, entertaining a local audience of awe-struck French viewers and unsuspecting global spectators. In 2019, aclipof Cooper speaking the language on the French program “Quotidien” garnered millions of views and thousands of likes online, with audiences captivated by each word. When you are born and raised in the United States, Americannationalismand the dominance of the English language are so deeply rooted in the culture that seeing an actor perform in a different language is astonishing. Meanwhile, there are many international actors working in American films and speaking fluent English, while native English viewers – admittedly, myself included – rarely notice this remarkable ability.
But it’s even less common for an American actor to successfully make this shift into another market. That Foster can do it so smoothly is not only impressive; it’s inspiring. Watching “A Private Life” feels like witnessing the world expand before your eyes. Zlotowski combines Foster’s proficiency andLilianA captivating personal life intertwined with an engaging mystery, the film serves almost as a promotion for language and linguistic exploration. It makes the process of learning and seeking knowledge seem thrilling and valuable.LilianThere isn’t a single ordinary character in Foster’s wide range of performances. She represents the satisfaction that comes from exploring new possibilities, utilizing your intellect, and understanding life’s various mysteries, all combined in an always stylish manner.
For those looking for an exceptional movie, there are numerous elements beyond Foster’s linguistic abilities that make “A Private Life” so remarkable. Enthusiasts of the classic, beautifully craftedthrillers of Alfred Hitchcockand Brian De Palma will be captivated by the film from the very beginning. Zlotowski combines the refined, structured style of the former with the creative flair andsexy intrigueof the latter, yet infused with a unique and graceful femininity that leads to some truly stunning narrative deviations. WhenLilianmeets with the therapist (Sophie Guillemin) for the first time — prior to her complaining about the French people’s love for vacations all year long — Zlotowski takes the audience into a luxurious dreamlike world that complicates the connection betweenLilianand her late patient, Paula (Virginie Efira).
One of the most impressive and unexpected moments you’ll witness on the big screen this year, a reassuring sign that Foster’s talent remains intact after she expertly co-led what ultimately turned out to be a decent season of “True Detective” in 2024. Tempted by the hypnotist’s voice,LilianShe roams through a vibrant, colorful fantasy before ending up in the pit of a French orchestra during World War II, in a theater that’s about to be raided by German forces. There, lines intertwine and limits fade. Language takes a backseat to emotion.Lilianwitnesses her family and starts to realize that she is having a vision of a previous life, where she and Paula are deeply connected.
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The scene is impressive, but beyond all its visual elements, it’s what the moment symbolizes forLilianthat really lingers. Earlier in the movie, a customer who unintentionally mentionedLilianto the hypnotist, she says that after his session, she felt “free from something.” During her short time under the hypnotist’s influence,Lilianis freed from a comparable, unclear load that even a talented psychoanalyst cannot decipher.
Notably, this state of trance is one of the rare moments in the film whenLilianreverts back to English. When Paula murmurs something thatLiliancan’t quite discern, just before the hypnotist releases her from the trance,Lilianprotests in English, “I need to hear her!” She leaves her state without interpreting Paula’s words, yet feels an instinctive and powerful sense of fulfillment, as if she could understand the meaning of what her former patient said without grasping every single word.
The experience is not much different from trying to learn a new language, or one you once had some proficiency in but haven’t practiced carefully for a while. Foster went to a French-language preparatory school in Los Angeles as a child, which allowed her to become fluent with far more ease and opportunity than most Americans typically have. In the United States, there is still no national standard for learning a world language, which contrasts sharply with how second languages are taught in many other countries. Here, language education faces obstacles and political influences, resulting in varying curriculum standards across states and even within different school districts. In short, American children in the public school system have very limited consistent exposure to world languages during a period in their lives when language learning is most effective.
(George Lechaptois)“A Private Life”
Before attending high school, I didn’t know any language besides English — except for basic Spanish numbers and some Spanish and French that kids usually pick up from the media. I started learning French when I was a freshman in high school, excited to gain new skills. However, over the years, I became frustrated with the challenges of studying a non-English language in America. Each of my French classes in college had a different instructor, and even though they tried their best, they weren’t always well-prepared. For all four years of my French studies, the curriculum each year started a whole semester behind where the previous one ended, which meant we often spent several months relearning material we had already covered and memorized. I graduated with a good level of proficiency — stronger in listening and reading than speaking — and shortly after, stopped studying languages altogether because it didn’t fit into my college schedule. I’ve regretted that decision ever since.
When language apps like Duolingorose to fame, my eager efforts to resume my French studies were soon blocked by the app’s game-like approach. The learning process is not very steady, and if you make too many errors during your lessons — even though mistakes are an essential and natural part of learning any language — your opportunity to practice is suspended until the following day unless you pay to regain access.
For years, French took a backseat while I pursued other ambitions, until late last summer when I met a charming Quebecois man who had been studying English since childhood. His ability to speak both French and English amazed me. It wasn’t just the romantic aspect; it was the motivation I needed to fully commit to learning again. After two months of some basic study, I found myself visiting him in Montréal, feeling envious of all the bilingual Canadians and American expats he introduced me to. Being removed from my English-speaking world for the first time in my life (I know, I know), I was only slightly uncomfortable at first. Soon, my unease turned into curiosity. I started understanding more of what people were saying. I followed their English comments within their French conversations and figured out the meaning based on my knowledge of both languages. I experienced the unique and familiar feeling of using my brain in a different way. The chance to learn made my growing romantic feelings even stronger.
In “A Private Life,” Lilianshe records all her sessions on outdated mini discs, a practice that her son, Julien (Vincent Lacoste), objects to. “They can be lost or damaged,” he saysLilianwhile urging her to opt for something more up-to-date. “Because I can lose them makes them precious,”Lilian replies.
This is a casual comment, possibly without any hidden meaning. However, I would say that in Zlotowski’s film, nothing is random. Even if the message is understood, it works well.LilianHer response to her son’s confusion serves as an ideal analogy for learning a new language. Language is similar to a muscle, and the more it is utilized and practiced, the stronger it becomes. However, if it is neglected, it can eventually vanish. The ability becomes valuable once we understand how much of the world could be inaccessible if we lose it.
For Lilian, language is everything. It provided her with a husband, Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil) — well, former husband, whoLilianSuddenly reignites a romance with — a family and a successful practice. Her life and existence as she knows it depend on it. Even the mystery she is trying to solve relies on accurately understanding the meaning of syntax and verb forms. Language plays a crucial role in making this thriller so exciting. French bringsLilianMore aligned with the truth than she could have achieved on her own, and enhances the inherent beauty of her complex life when she needs it most. Language serves as a means to communicate, certainly, but it is also a tool that can help us refine our perspective to discover experiences and people that make us laugh, love, and feel excited in fresh ways. You never know where knowledge might lead you, or whom it could bring you closer to.
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