Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. This film does have audio description, despite not being in the English language. *checks notes* Let’s revisit this. This French language film has audio description, despite not being selected by the country of origin as its official Oscar selection. Game, Set, Match.

Yeah, they don’t know it, but this has gotten a lot of International Feature votes from me along the way. I might be alone, but I’m trying to spread the good word. In a sea of world cinema that is gate kept on an extreme level, Sony Pictures Classics provided audio description here. And having seen their entire slate, I will say, it was a choice. they do not have audio description on every title, but did focus on French titles A Private Life, A Magnificent Life, and Jane Austen Wrecked my Life. None of those are International Oscar plays. I’m sure everywhere I vote, my ballot in that field is strange, but I take the hits where I can get them.

It is a pleasant, somewhat dark film about a therapist (Jodie foster) who finds out a patient of hers died suddenly. Believing the circumstances to be suspicious, she embarks on a journey of truth. Along the way, she will dabble a little in the spiritualist ideology, looking to tap into a deeper connection that might lead to an answer.

It certainly gave Agatha Christie vibes. A lighter side of her works, but there’s a mystery here, and it is something one of her regular detectives might have uncovered. I can’t speak to how well Foster pulls off the French accent, but she is nearly fully in French, save for one scene in the film.Follwing its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, it looked like maybe Sony Pictures Classics would gear up a campaign for Foster, but the film isn’t that deep or serious. It is mostly tonally light. the plot does payoff the mystery, and it is interesting to watch Foster’s non-detective stumbling through clues.

If the other International films had audio description, or at least the major distributors fully committed to audio description, my International Top 5 wouldn’t include A Private Life. I’m certain if Sony had pushed audio description on the Presidents Cake, if Mubi jumped on Sound Of Falling and My Father’s Shadow, if Disney bothered with the tale Of Solime, and if Neon had done all six of their international films (they also distribute Alpha), I would have enough to redefine. Add to that netflix and Amazon only providing dubbing for Left Handed Girl and Belen, and this year was for the leftovers. So, from this critic, I can truthfully say, A Private Life is a Top 5 International Film of 2025.

Smart, sophisticated, and most importantly accessible, A private Life is one of the best non-English titles of the year, and doubles down on an unusual mystery with an even more unsuspecting detective.

Fresh: Final Grade: 7.3/10