Jodie Foster’s new French thriller is headed to Netflix very soon. The film expands its audience after festivals and a limited VOD release. It now moves into streaming, bringing a psychological mystery to a much wider audience.
A Private Life sets Netflix streaming release date
As per What’s on Netflix, A Private Life is set to arrive on Netflix US on July 29, 2026. The film is part of a Sony Pictures deal with Netflix and will stream under the Sony Pictures Classics banner. It will remain available for 18 months, giving it a long window on the platform for fans who miss its earlier releases.
Before landing on streaming, the film built steady attention during its 2025 festival run. It premiered in an out-of-competition slot at Cannes, where it reportedly earned a lengthy standing ovation. It later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and closed the Deauville Film Festival, helping it build a reputation as a polished, character-focused thriller.
This 104-minute thriller comes from director Rebecca Zlotowski, who also wrote the screenplay with Anne Berest. Instead of being a straight crime mystery, it fuses suspense with psychological drama. The story centers on Lilian Steiner, a well-known psychiatrist. Her world is turned upside down after one of her patients dies unexpectedly. When the authorities don’t seem interested in digging any deeper, she decides to chase the truth herself. She is convinced there’s more to the case than anyone realizes.
Jodie Foster leads the film as Lilian, playing a woman whose search for answers slowly starts affecting both her work and personal life. She’s joined by Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste, and Luàna Bajrami. Foster is a two-time Academy Award winner for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs. She is also known for major roles in films like Taxi Driver and Contact. Along with that, she has recently appeared in True Detective: Night Country.
A Private Life currently holds an 82% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while IMDB users have awarded it a decent 5.9 score.
