Jodie Foster Returns to French Cinema in Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Vie Privée” at Cannes
Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster made a triumphant return to French cinema on Monday as Rebecca Zlotowski’s psychological thriller “Vie Privée” (Private Life) received its world premiere out of competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The film represents a significant moment in Foster’s career as she delivers her most substantial French-language performance to date.
A Psychiatrist’s Obsession
In “Vie Privée,” Foster portrays Lilian Steiner, a respected psychiatrist who becomes convinced that one of her patients has been murdered. Determined to uncover the truth, she launches her own investigation with help from her ex-husband, played by Daniel Auteuil. The 105-minute thriller also stars Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, and Vincent Lacoste.
During the press conference following the screening, Foster spoke about the challenges and rewards of acting in French: “This is the first time that I’ve been in a French movie where I have as much dialogue, so that was a huge challenge for me,” she revealed. “The great thing is that when I act in French, I’m a totally different person. I have a much higher voice. I’m much less confident, and I get very frustrated because I can’t express myself as well. It actually creates a kind of new character for me.”
A Long-Held Desire
The origins of the project stretch back years, with Foster expressing that working in a French production has been “something I wanted to do for a very long time.” Her fluency in French has allowed her to appear in several French films throughout her career, beginning with Éric Le Hung’s “Moi, fleur bleue” (1977) when she was a child, Claude Chabrol’s “Le Sang des autres” (1984), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Un long dimanche de fiançailles” (2004).
For producer Frédéric Jouve of Les Films Velvet, bringing Foster into the project seemed ambitious but achievable. “As I know Rebecca quite well, I thought obviously that we would do this, that it would indeed be possible,” he said at the press conference. “Rebecca, in fact, already wanted to have Jodie in her first film, Philippine prudence, which talked about a mother who disappeared.”
A Personal Evolution
Foster, who recently won a Golden Globe for her role in “True Detective” Season 4, reflected on how her approach to acting has changed over the years: “The older I get, the more I want to play light characters. I used to want to make films that were about me when I was young, and it’s different now. It’s wonderful to be the old lady who supports new actors and says ‘don’t worry, there is nothing serious about it.'”
A Film Born from Friendship
Director Rebecca Zlotowski, whose previous film “Les Enfants des autres” (Other People’s Children) starred Virginie Efira and received critical acclaim, described how “Vie Privée” evolved from friendship and fascination. The project began with her interest in hypnosis, inspired by her father-in-law’s work in the field, and expanded to explore themes of former lives and psychological investigation.
“This film was born out of friendship,” Zlotowski explained. “Sometimes I search for a film around that would be meaningful for me and others. This psychiatrist certainly gets worried about her patient. She starts to cry. And so we don’t try to work back to understand this emotion.”
Working with co-writers Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé, Zlotowski crafted a character that seemed perfectly suited for Foster, changing the original title from “Lilia Steiner” to “Vie Privée” as the project developed.
Chemistry Between Actors
The chemistry between Foster and Auteuil was immediately apparent, with Foster noting: “I’ve been watching Daniel for so many years, all the Jean de Florette films and so many movies after that. I felt like he was my brother or something. That’s strange, right? I also had this image of him as a young man as well, and then I have seen him over the years, so it really felt like he was a family member.”
Auteuil echoed this sentiment, saying: “When I met Jodie Foster, I had a feeling that I met an alter ego. She has the same resources as I do, performs the same as I do, has the same feelings, and is so deeply concentrated when working as I am, while remaining lighthearted.”
Virginie Efira, who reunites with Zlotowski after their successful collaboration on “Les Enfants des autres,” described her character’s complexity: “In other people, of course, you don’t always appear as you truly are. The character hides certain things, reveals others, or invents them. And that’s why it has so many different layers to the film.”
A Thorough Preparation
Zlotowski and Foster prepared extensively before shooting began, walking through Paris together to discuss the character. “We walked around Paris a lot before shooting, it was very hot,” Zlotowski recalled. “We talked. I think that Jodie would have been able to just walk around Paris just like that, but we did walk and we talked a lot. And we went to buy books and it was a wonderful time.”
Foster, who has directed several films herself, reflected on how her directorial experience influences her acting: “I prepare the same way as a director and as an actor, probably because I have absolutely no training. I don’t know what I’m doing as an actor, but I never went to acting school or conservatory. So I don’t really know any other way.”
Behind the Camera
The film was shot between September and November 2024 in Paris and Normandy, with cinematographer George Lechaptois, a longtime collaborator of Zlotowski’s who has worked on all her previous films. Foster praised the director of photography: “100 approaches per day, very fast DOP. He is the best. We work in a practical way, he works in a very intuitive way, and we reach common ground as we are shooting.”
A Character’s Journey
Foster was particularly drawn to Lilian Steiner’s personal transformation: “She’s someone who reaches this turning point in her life when she feels a bit stuck in her job. She’s come to a standstill, and through this inquiry she conducts with her husband, she’s investigating. In the end, she realizes that something has to change.”
She continued, “What I really like about this film is that it leads to her investigation and inquiry into herself. It doesn’t end up turning into a really big deal. It’s not a question of amputation, something radical. It’s more a matter of details that make us into the person that we are, and you discover all this when you have the courage to delve into yourself.”
Distribution and Release
Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American and Latin American distribution rights for “Vie Privée” in February 2025, while the international market is being handled by Goodfellas. Following its Cannes premiere, the film is scheduled for theatrical release in France on November 26, 2025.
With “Vie Privée,” Zlotowski continues to build her impressive filmography, now venturing into the thriller genre after previously focusing on dramas and romantic films. For Foster, it represents another bold choice in a career defined by them, bringing her linguistic talents to the forefront in what critics are already calling one of her most nuanced performances.
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).
