By John Corrado

The first thing we hear in filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski’s new French-language thriller A Private Life (or Vie privée) is the distinctive strains of The Talking Heads song “Psycho Killer.”

The song is leaking into the office of psychiatrist Lillian Steiner (Jodie Foster), as it’s being blasted by her neighbours in the apartment above. It’s a fitting way for Zlotowski to set the tone for her latest film, an unexpectedly playful psychological thriller that is surprisingly fun to watch unfold.

Lillian is an American psychiatrist practising in Paris, who becomes increasingly consumed by the death of her longtime patient Paula (Virginie Efira). The deceased woman’s husband Simon (Mathieu Amalric) becomes rattled by seeing her at the wake, and her daughter Valérie (Luàna Bajrami) later comes to Lillian’s office seeking answers.

Lillian comes to believe that Paula’s death, officially a suicide, might actually be murder. There are clues, but also an insatiable urge to assuage her own sense of guilt over missing potential warning signs of suicidality in her patient. Lillian enlists the help of her ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil), with whom she shares an adult son (Vincent Lacoste), to help with her impromptu investigation. Equally revealing is the amount of chemistry they still have between them.

If the idea of watching Jodie Foster play a character using her psychology background to investigate a crime calls to mind her most famous role in The Silence of the Lambs, A Private Life is very much its own thing. Zlotowski’s film is a little eccentric and off-kilter, very French you might say, cleverly unfolding as a murder mystery where they may or may not even be a murder. Zlotowski is able to build tension at key moments and keep us intrigued, even as elements of it might seem to slip through our fingers.

There is a somewhat illusory quality to the plot at times, as Lillian consults a hypnotist (Sophie Guillemin) in her quest for answers. She becomes overtaken by obsession, her investigation taking her to some extreme conclusions as she grasps at straws to unravel this mystery. And Foster, who performs the role almost entirely in French, is captivating to watch throughout. It’s enjoyable to see an actress of her calibre continuing to try new things, and have complete command of the screen while doing so. Foster’s performance is the reason to see A Private Life.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

A Private Life opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on January 23rd, including at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. It’s being distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.