If I had a nickel for every indie film I watched via streaming set in France and starring an Academy Award winning American actress this summer, I’d have two nickels. Which, isn’t a lot but still strange it happened twice.
After reviewing “Couture” with Angelina Jolie a couple weeks ago, another movie with a limited theatrical release turned up on the radar. “A Private Life,” directed and co-written by Rebecca Zlotowski, stars Jodie Foster as therapist Lilian Steiner. The movie opens with Lilian learning one of her patients has taken her own life and it sets her off on a revealing journey.
While it first appears to be an open and shut case of suicide, Lilian notices things that lead her to believe there may have been something nefarious at play. Driven to learn more, she looks for clues while also connecting with people from her past, in doing so learning more about her patients and herself.
“A Private Life” is a movie with some interesting ideas for its lead character, but never quite manages to make them all gel together nicely. Over the course of the movie, clocking in at an hour and 47 minutes, the film is at points a personal drama, at times a psychological exercise, and in many scenes a whodunnit murder mystery.
Yet none of these three aspects are tied together tightly for a coherent narrative or a fulfilling story. Instead, the movie regularly meanders from plot point to plot point without much coherency. Plus there’s a real lack of thrust behind much of what’s hapening on screen. There’s little suspense when it comes to the mysterious death element, and the interpersonal drama is underwritten.
Despite reveals being made or new developments coming up, it never feels like the movie is throwing big twists or turns. The film does little to surprise or entice, making it difficult to stay hooked. There’s also a sense that the creative team, involving Zlotowski and two other writers, were going for some dark humor here, but it usually fizzles.
That’s not all to say that the movie is a total loss. For one, Zlotowski as a director brings plenty of artistic style to the movie. Her and the crew did impressive work creating a visually appealing movie. There’s some flair enhancing many scenes. That, as well as lead perforamnce and even some some of the thematic elements shows a good deal of care was put into the feature.
Jodie Foster’s work is particularly praise-worthy. She shows off her acting ability in several scenes, giving her character a strong level of intrigue. The woman at the film’s center is set on answering important questions, and doing so with a notable attitude and wit, which Foster portrays well. While the film’s tendency to drift makes it hard to stay engaged, Foster’s work in bringing the character to life helps to keep a person at least somewhat invested.
Unfortunately, the supporting group of characters are much less memorable. The performers are fine, but the people they portray are just rather bland. Whodunnit movies should feature an interesting group with plenty of characteristics that keep them in the back of one’s mind. That’s not really the case with the group on screen.
The culmination of all these characters is somewhere between a shrug and a whimper, too. As the film comes to a conclusion, there’s a feeling of, ‘that’s it?’ Even below two hours, the time investment doesn’t feel worth it.
“A Private Life” offers a strong lead performance from an Oscar-winning actress and a writer/director who brings artistic merit to the table that shows up in the visual and technical aspects of the picture. However, the film is let down hard by its convoluted nature and lack of compelling side characters. 2.3 out of 5.
Photo courtesy Sony Pictures Classics
