(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Jodie Foster has hinted she's been battling a "spiritual crisis".

The American star directed and acted in new movie The Beaver, which also features Mel Gibson. Mel plays troubled Walter Black, who is in the grip of depression. He begins to use a hand puppet to converse with his family Jodie portrays Walter's wife Meredith and finds it helps him discuss his innermost feelings.

Although the movie didn't do well in America it received a standing ovation at the Cannes International Film Festival this year and Jodie explained it means a great deal to her as it's so personal.

"I think depression is fascinating; there was a lot of depression in my family. Making movies about people in spiritual crises helps me to come to terms with my own spiritual crisis. My way of organising my feelings is to make movies out of them and see problems from all points of view," she explained to stylist.co.uk.

Jodie sees The Beaver as a natural progression from the other two films she's directed, Little Man Tate in 1991 and 1995's Home for the Holidays. She started acting young, appearing as a prostitute in Taxi Driver when she was 14. Little Man Tate dealt with being a child prodigy, while her next turn as director was centred on people in their 30s. The Beaver moves onto the problems people have later in life, with Jodie seeing the releases as a trilogy.

Directing is important to the 48-year-old as she wants more women to be involved in the industry.

"There has always been female directors in the independent industry and Europe. The area that is slower is mainstream US movies," she said. "But I think it's changing, with the likes of Kathryn Bigelow and her last film, The Hurt Locker. I adore that film but what's interesting is the first female director to be acknowledged by the Oscars made a film in a male genre." (C) Cover Media