Stream It Or Skip It: ‘A Private Life’ on Netflix, a Gently Uncozy Cozy Mystery, Led by a French-Speaking Jodie Foster

By John Serba Published July 29, 2026, 6:41 p.m. ET A Private Life (now on Netflix) is a bit of an odd one, a French-language Jodie Foster vehicle and murder mystery that I’m not sure should be taken too seriously. First, who knew Foster was fluent in French? And second, writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski strikes an unusual tone, casting the Oscar winner as a psychiatrist snooping around the potentially suspicious death of a patient, and acting increasingly, well, loopy while doing it. It’s sort of a psychodrama and sort of a dark comedy and maybe mulling it over here will provide some clarity. A PRIVATE LIFE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? The Gist: We open with the strains of the Talking Heads’s “Psycho Killer” playing, and considering the source — anyone ever attempt the impossible by trying to p