Latest news with #APrivateLife
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A Private Life' Review: A Delightfully Paired Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil Escape Injury in a Messy but Pleasurable Genre Collision
Caught between sophisticated comedy and silly fluff, between Hitchcockian mystery and zany amateur sleuth caper, A Private Life (Vie Privée) is a lot more fun than it probably deserves to be thanks to the disarming chemistry of its seasoned leads, Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil. Rebecca Zlotowski's latest doesn't have the intoxicating sun-kissed sensuality of An Easy Girl or the emotional complexity of Other People's Children, her last two films. This one is too busy careening all over the tonal map for any of that. What it does have is the French director's customary light touch; it's chaos with charm. Foster's French — at least to these ears — sounds impeccable and this is her first feature in the language since 2004's A Very Long Engagement. She jumps into it with a spiky vitality and an unexpected playfulness that buoy the movie as much as Zlotowski's zippy direction. More from The Hollywood Reporter Cate Blanchett, Afghan, Syrian Creators on Fund for Displaced Directors Backing "Surprising Narratives" Kelly Reichardt on 'The Mastermind,' Josh O'Connor and What the '70s Have to Teach Us Today Cannes: Hasan Hadi's 'The President's Cake' Wins Directors' Fortnight Audience Award Her character, Dr. Lilian Steiner, is an American psychoanalyst working out of her home office in Paris. At first glance, she seems like classic Foster material — fiercely intelligent, controlled, professional, a touch guarded. But as Lilian starts unraveling, she becomes impulsive, irrational, emotional, insecure about her work and at times almost ditzy. Coming off her brilliant turn as the haunted, tightly wound police chief in True Detective: Night Country, it's a pleasure to watch Foster loosen up and have fun with a role, getting to exercise comedy chops too seldom tapped in her American projects of recent decades. Just the novelty of watching her act in another language, as a woman in her adopted country long enough to absorb many of the mannerisms yet still markedly different from the locals, is a kick. And when Lilian gets flustered or annoyed and mutters an occasional 'motherfucker' or some other expletive in English, it humanizes her, acknowledging that she doesn't have all the answers. The script, co-written by Anne Berest and Zlotowski, right off the bat throws curveballs at Lilian to inject nagging doubts into her work. She learns that the reason her patient of many years, Paula (Virginie Efira), has missed her last three sessions without canceling is that she committed suicide. She's still digesting that news, asking herself why she saw no red flags, when an angry patient (Noam Morgensztern) bursts in. He aggressively informs Lilian that his many sessions with her to quit smoking were a waste of time and money, but he kicked the habit with just one visit to a hypnotist, freeing him from cigarettes and from her. Lilian makes the mistake of going to Paula's home while family and friends are sitting shiva. She's ordered to leave by grieving widower Simon (Mathieu Amalric), who flies into a rage, shouting that after all the years Lilian had been treating his wife, she should have known something was wrong. Later, he accuses her of over-prescribing antidepressants, leading to the overdose that killed her. Meanwhile, Lilian, who has never been able to cry, starts shedding tears uncontrollably, often without knowing it's happening. She consults her ex-husband Gabriel (Auteuil), an eye doctor whose droll response to seeing her weep for the first time is, 'It suits you.' Lilian seems on better terms with Gaby, as she calls him, than with their adult son Julien (Vincent Lacoste), with whom she's never been close. That emotional block now extends to her infant grandson. Zlotowski inserts a funny montage of patients banging on about their mostly banal issues while Lilian, mortified to appear so unprofessional, dabs at her face with tissues to mop up the almost nonstop waterworks. In a Freudian detour that's arguably the movie's least successfully integrated scene, Lilian tries fixing the tear duct problem by seeing a hypnotist (Sophie Guillemin), who tells her she's in mourning and coaxes the skeptical shrink to return to her mother's womb. Suddenly, the hypnotist is guiding Lilian through a vast red space in another dimension with various doors and stairways. Under hypnosis, Lilian enters a hall where she and Paula are cellists in an orchestra recital in early 1940s occupied France; Julian is one of the uniformed Nazis in the audience and Simon conducts with a baton that becomes a gun. It's like a stoner's take on Truffaut's The Last Metro — enjoyably arch but too loopy to have much relevance beyond the hypnotist's assertion that Lilian and Paula were lovers in a past life. All very Shirley MacLaine. It does, however, stop the weeping, address Lilian's disgust with antisemitism and plant a subliminal hint as to why she was never able to bond with Julian. Not that any of that is clearly articulated. The movie is on more accessible ground back in the real world, where a visit from Paula's pregnant daughter Valérie (Luàna Bajrami) leads Lilian to believe her patient was murdered, either by her daughter or husband. She enlists the help of the amiable Gaby to start tailing them, at the same time listening to her recordings of sessions with Paula for clues. The mostly preposterous mystery thread never acquires much substance despite tossing a lot of balls in the air. Someone breaks into Lilian's apartment and steals the audio file from Paula's final session; suspicions arise concerning an inheritance from a wealthy aunt (screen veteran Aurore Clément, perhaps a nod to Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien?); Simon picked up Paula's medication from the pharmacy and possibly tampered with it; and he appears to be leading a double life with another woman and a child tucked away in Chérence, outside Paris. These questions are resolved, more or less, in an anticlimactic wrap-up that yields the relatively meager payoff of Lilian learning to be a better listener and a more accepting mother. But the flimsy plot becomes secondary to the fizz generated every time Foster and Auteuil share a scene — Lilian wired and Gaby supremely chill. They toss badinage back and forth with an ease that rescues the movie, and they exchange looks that point to mutual affection and desire undimmed by divorce. If the messy strands of this genre-blurring film struggle to cohere, the parts that veer toward a remarriage comedy make it enjoyable. A Private Life rolls along at a jaunty pace, frequently prodded by percussive staccato bursts of mononymous composer Rob's whimsical score. The glossy, good-looking production feels like a throwback to French fare from a few decades ago — middlebrow passing for intellectual, mainstream commercial passing for arthouse. But there's a nostalgic appeal to it, boosted by an unlikely middle-aged rom-com dream team in Foster and Auteuil. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV
Mint
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Jodie Foster opens up about her fear of acting in French films
Washington [US], May 22 (ANI): Actress and director Jodie Foster has confessed that despite being fluent in French, she was long hesitant to act in French-language films. As per Deadline, in an interview at Cannes, Foster discussed her latest film, 'A Private Life,' where she plays a French-speaking psychiatrist. This role marks her first major French-language part in two decades, following her appearance in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'A Very Long Engagement' in 2005. Foster revealed that she had been offered several projects in French but turned them down due to fear. "Why didn't I make a film in French? I was afraid," she admitted, adding, "A number of directors offered me projects, but I was too scared to act in French. I thought someone who is familiar with French should do so." However, she finally took on the challenge with 'A Private Life,' which premiered at Cannes and received a 10-minute standing ovation. Foster noted that acting in French brings out a different side of her. "The great thing, when I act in French, I'm a totally different person: My confidence isn't as high and my voice is higher. It creates a new character for me," as quoted by Deadline. This experience has allowed her to tap into a new aspect of her craft and explore different facets of her acting abilities. As both an actress and director, Foster was asked if she brings a director's mind to her acting. She replied that while directors think about the big picture, actors focus on the moment. "Actors think in the moment, while directors have the big picture in their head," she said. Foster prepares for her roles by going with her gut instinct, having never attended a conservatory school. (ANI)
Khaleej Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Cannes Film Festival 2025: Jodie Foster prefers life outside US
Jodie Foster prefers to be outside the US right now, the Oscar-winning actor told Reuters at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, citing better conditions in Europe's film industry as well as more freedom now that her children have grown up. Foster was in southern France for the premiere of A Private Life, a psychological thriller in which Foster assumes the role of a psychiatrist who tasks herself with investigating the death of her patient, played by Virginie Efira. The US-born actor, who won two Oscars for The Accused in 1989 and The Silence of the Lambs in 1992, had to speak in French only for the Cannes film that is screening out of competition. Foster, 62, began her career filming commercials at the age of 3 and has received numerous awards throughout her career, including an honorary Palme d'Or award from Cannes in 2021. "I'm really enjoying working outside the United States," she said, recalling how she is not as tied down to the US now as she was when her children were little and she had to stay close to home. Foster, who first came to Cannes as a 13-year-old when she starred in Taxi Driver, said working as a director in France was better than in the US because of more creative freedom. Blending genres, like director Rebecca Zlotowski does in Foster's new film, is very uncommon in the US, she said. Studios want a film to be either a thriller or a comedy, they don't want a mixture of the two, she said, whereas France allows the director to have more authority on such decisions. "That's the reason why filmmakers love to come here." In Europe, female directors also have had more opportunities compared with the US, said Foster, herself a director. "I'd only worked with one female director until a few years ago. Isn't that kind of amazing? After I've made 60 movies that I've barely ever worked with another woman?" she said. "Europe has always had a female tradition, or at least for quite a while. But in America, somehow that bias really took hold."
Free Malaysia Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Jodie Foster says she prefers life outside the US
Jodie Foster at the photo call for the film 'A Private Life' at the Cannes Film Festival. (Invision/AP pic) CANNES : Jodie Foster prefers to be outside the United States right now, the Oscar-winning actor told Reuters at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, citing better conditions in Europe's film industry as well as more freedom now that her children have grown up. Foster was in southern France for the premiere of 'A Private Life,' a psychological thriller in which Foster assumes the role of a psychiatrist who tasks herself with investigating the death of her patient, played by Virginie Efira. The US-born actor, who won two Oscars for 'The Accused' in 1989 and 'The Silence of the Lambs' in 1992, had to speak in French only for the Cannes film that is screening out of competition. Foster, 62, began her career filming commercials at the age of 3 and has received numerous awards throughout her career, including an honorary Palme d'Or award from Cannes in 2021. 'I'm really enjoying working outside the United States,' she said, recalling how she is not as tied down to the US now as she was when her children were little and she had to stay close to home. Foster, who first came to Cannes as a 13-year-old when she starred in 'Taxi Driver', said working as a director in France was better than in the US because of more creative freedom. Blending genres, like director Rebecca Zlotowski does in Foster's new film, is very uncommon in the U.S., she said. Studios want a film to be either a thriller or a comedy, they don't want a mixture of the two, she said, whereas France allows the director to have more authority on such decisions. 'That's the reason why filmmakers love to come here.' In Europe, female directors also have had more opportunities compared with the US, said Foster, herself a director. 'I'd only worked with one female director until a few years ago. Isn't that kind of amazing? After I've made 60 movies that I've barely ever worked with another woman?' she said. 'Europe has always had a female tradition, or at least for quite a while. But in America, somehow that bias really took hold.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Film Festival Photos Day 9: Paul Mescal, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve, ‘The History of Sound' & ‘Sentimental Value' Premieres
The 77th Cannes Film Festival continues on Day 9 with two world premieres: Oliver Hermanus's The History of Sound, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, and director Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, which reunites him with The Worst Person in the World actress Renate Reinsve. Guests at the premiere for The History of Sound included Teri Hatcher, Taraji P. Henson, Aja Naomi King, John C. Reilly, Julian Assange, Michelle Rodriguez, Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell, Jenny Slate More from Deadline Sales Agency First Slate International Debuts With Genre Features Including 'Surviving Silence' & 'Those Who Call' - Cannes Market Why Jodie Foster Hasn't Acted More In French Films Like 'A Private Life': "I Was Too Scared" - Cannes Sony Pictures Acquires Remake Rights To French Box Office Hit 'A Little Something Extra' - Cannes RELATED: 'Eddington' Cannes Film Festival Premiere Photos: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler & More Mescal stars as Lionel, a gifted singer from rural Kentucky, who leaves his family farm in 1917 to attend the Boston Music Conservatory. There, he meets David (O'Connor), a charming music student soon drafted into the war. In 1920, the two spend the winter in Maine, passionately collecting folk songs. As Lionel builds a successful life in Europe, he's continually drawn back to the profound, lingering impact of his brief time with David, eventually uncovering why their connection resonated so deeply. Sentimental Value follows sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) as they reconnect with their estranged father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a once-celebrated director. Gustav, still charismatic, offers stage actress Nora a leading role in what he hopes will be his triumphant comeback film. However, when Nora declines, she's blindsided to learn he's handed her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the sisters are forced to confront their complicated relationship with their father, all while grappling with the chaotic arrival of an American star thrust into their already complex family dynamic. The cast also features Elle Fanning, Bjørn Alexander and Jesper Christensen. Pressers and photocalls today at Palais des Festivals included Fuori; Un Simple Accident; The Disappearance of Josef Mengele; Homebound, and A Private Life. RELATED: Cannes Film Festival 2025: Read All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews Buzzy world premieres this week have included Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest; A Private Life starring Jody Foster; Ari Aster's star-studded film Eddington, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone; Die My Love, with Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence; New Wave, directed by Richard Linklater, starring Guillaume Marbeck, Aubry Dullin, and Zoey Deutch; Kristen Stewart's directorial debut The Chronology of Water; and director Dominik Moll's Dossier 137 starring Léa Drucker. RELATED: Deadline Studio at Cannes Film Festival 2025 Over the past two weeks, the jury, led by Juliette Binoche, will evaluate the 21 films in competition and award the Palme d'Or, Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on May 24, immediately followed by the screening of Momoko Sato's Dandelion's Odyssey. Check back for up-to-date photos from the festival of the parties, press junkets, and premieres from the Cannes Film Festival that runs from May 13-24. Best of Deadline 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds
