Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson team up for "The Beaver"

(CBS) Jodie Foster is both in front of and behind the camera with her new film, "The Beaver."

We caught up with Foster at the New York red carpet premiere of the film, and she described her movie dealing with a rather dark subject matter as a bit of counter programming in a season traditionally given over to  big-budget Hollywood action films.

"Maybe people will be sick of all the explosions that are coming their way and come check out our film," Foster told us, "I make a tapestry of how we interact with each other. I don't do the big CGI movies. And if you like these kinds of films [like "The Beaver"], well, I do. I love those movies."

With "The Beaver," Foster directs a bittersweet tale of a middle-aged father coping with depression. The protagonist (played by Foster's good friend Mel Gibson) uses an alter-ego in the form of a beaver sock-puppet to try to overcome his mental turmoil. During her press interviews, Foster has been quick to defend Gibson, who has faced much-publicized demons of his own.

We asked Foster whether it's difficult for her to have to constantly speak about Gibson and his personal life.

"I think I'm so weird that I can kind of compartmentalize that out," she said. " Somewhere around Friday, I will curl up like a ball from having to answer those questions. But you know, right now, he's amazing in the movie and I'm just grateful for him and the performance that he gave. I can't thank him enough times."

Foster may not be curling up like a ball this weekend after all, as she has much to celebrate. The two-time Oscar winner has already attracted rave reviews for "The Beaver," which opens in wide release this Friday.

Watch the CBSNews.com interview with Foster at the top of this page.