A Private Life
Film
It's been quite some time since French-speaking Jodie Foster made an on-screen appearance, going as far back as 2004's Un long dimanche de fiançailles, which makes her presence in Rebecca Zlotowski's A Private Life such a treat. After attending Lycée Français de Los Angeles, starting at nine years old, Foster has rarely flexed her bilingual muscles on-screen, often dubbing her own roles' dialogue for French versions of her English films, which makes this performance something of a rarity. Of course, this is Jodie Foster we're talking about so her performance is still stellar, but Zlotowski's murder mystery following Foster's Lillian Steiner, a psychiatrist who is convinced her patient was murdered, is unfortunately an uninteresting and dull story that can't be saved by the director's vision.
A Private Life jumps out to a rather quick start for a psychological murder mystery, with multiple patients visiting Steiner bringing varying news. One is upset that he's spent so much time visiting Steiner to quit smoking when a hypnotist cured his addiction immediately, the other brings dour news of Steiner's patient Paula passing due to suicide. Steiner, emotional from the news, quite literally cannot stop crying. No matter how hard she tries to stop it, the tears keep flowing from her eyes, which brings her to the very same hypnotist whose treatment brings up psychedelic visions for Steiner leading her to believe a murder has taken place.
As confounding as it sounds, A Private Life is an oddly labyrinthian mystery film that doesn't take its hypothesis that seriously. There's distraction and confusion at every turn. Infidelity, tampering with prescriptions, jealousy over inheritance, rekindled romances, there's almost too much to keep track of while also not wanting to understand any of it. In fact, Zlotowski's mystery is almost too drab to try to follow. Any attempt at a buildup of suspense or intrigue is detoured with a dive into Steiner's self-discovery journey, which as magnetic as Foster is, yields little to no interest. The story at the heart of A Private Life is sadly a banal meandering that feels empty.
However, there are some redeeming qualities. One of which is Foster's fantastic rare appearance as a French speaking performer. Not only is Foster one of the preeminent actresses of the modern age, but her fluency in French makes for an even deeper appreciation of her abilities. Her emotional command and presence on the screen is undeniable, and even if the story is a bland mess watching her fumble through solving a mystery, while speaking French, is a complete treat. The other point being Zlotowski's direction being more interesting than the story. I could consider A Private Life as more of a technical study than a narrative one as Zlotowski's frame composition and vision is downright phenomenal. When we first meet Steiner we're really only seeing her through doorways, distant hallways or whatever other obscured distinctions you want to use. We only see her as half of a picture, a representation of her repressed self-identity, a secret from herself. As the film progresses, the frame opens up, matching with Steiner's self-discovery and exploration of her psyche, not to mention the usage of mirrors in the background is a wonderful bit of production design from Katia Wyszkop further cementing Steiner's continuing reflection.
It's a bit of a bummer that I couldn't revel more in the idea of Foster speaking French in a strong film, but I suppose I'll have to tell myself that at least I got to see it one more time. But, sadly not even her strong performance and je ne sais quoi, could save this murder mystery.
Froth
Given the lack of narrative strength, I decided to base this beer pairing solely off of appearances. Aslan Brewing's Penumbra is a gorgeous looking Hazy IPA that matches the stellar visuals of A Private Life. Its hazy appearance a reflection of the mysterious frame composition Zlotowski's employs, pushing you to take that first sip and figure what exactly you're in for. Luckily, you're in for a treat. The Penumbra is just a flat out delight. With a smooth and full bodied feel it drinks almost like a dessert, especially with its tropical sweetness that's filled with orange and peach flavors. A touch of mango comes in on the backend adding to the pot as well, which does a fantastic job masking the solid 6.5% ABV and turning this Hazy IPA into a delicious treat of tropical hoppiness.
