by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
There is a growing trend of TV shows originally based on movies. They are finding an audience on streaming services, who are clamoring for content right now. An existing property is given new life, even if it’s been years since it was mainstream or even semi-relevant. TV shows like Snowpiercer and What We Do in the Shadows feel like natural extensions of their movies that they were based on. I give a lot of credit to shows like Fargo, Hannibal,and Bates Motel for trying something new, different from their film. Shows like Chucky, Cobra Kai, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ash vs Evil Dead,and Teen Wolf breathed new life into older franchises and gained notoriety. The latest entry to this club is a new miniseries on HBO.
Irma Vep, created by Olivier Assayas and based on the 1996 film of the same name, is about American actress Mira Harberg (Alicia Vikander). She is in Paris starring in the television adaptation of the famous French silent film Les Vampires. Entitled Irma Vep,Mira is directed by René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne), who has a connection to the original movie. Mira begins to lose herself in the role, while also attempting to figure out what she wants out of our career moving forward. Irma Vep is eight episodes and is on HBO Max.
I’ve never seen the original Irma Vep and I’m not entirely sure what the significance of it is. It feels like an odd choice to make Irma Vep into a mini-series. I wonder what something like this would have to say in a more modern take. Knowing A24 was involved certainly helps, but I feel like watching the original certainly would have been helpful. So after watching Irma Vep, what does this bring to the table?
Quite a bit, actually.
Irma Vep hinges on Vikander. If she doesn’t do a great job then this entire series falls apart. Vikander, like she always does, does a phenomenal job as Mira. She portrays someone who is trying to figure out the next move in her career, while dealing with all the drama that comes with fame. Even though Mira has been in a few big blockbuster movies, she’s struggling with where this television series fits in with her aspirations to be taken seriously as a performer. I can’t remember seeing something that Vikander was in where she didn’t do a fantastic job. She truly is one of the best Hollywood has to offer right now.
Mira has a lot of interesting people surrounding her. She has her agent Zelda (Carrie Brownstein), her assistant Regina (Devon Ross), and one of her former lovers who is also a fellow performer Eamonn (Tom Sturridge). Mira has very complicated relationships with all these people, and she has a tendency to take advantage of all of them in some capacity. Whether she’s ignoring Zelda’s calls about offers for roles that could offer her more money, whether she’s wanting more out of Regina when it comes to taking care of her, or whether she’s somewhat taking advantage of Eamonn, Mira struggles to keep her relationships with others in check. It’s what gets her in trouble with her former assistant and eventual ex-girlfriend Laurie (Adria Arjona).
One of the aspects of Irma Vep that I really like is the commentary it’s making on what it means to be a celebrity right now. For Mira, we have someone who is trying to figure out what type of actor she wants to be. Does she want to make big blockbuster movies that earn big money, or does she want to make art and truly perform? She comes to these crossroads throughout the course of the series, and Vikander does a great job of navigating that. Mira has a push-and-pull relationship with the role of Irma Vep. One on end, it’s not like anything she’s ever done in her career before. On the other end, it gives Mira a chance to truly flex her muscles as a performer. It’s something that truly helps guide her to what she wants out of her career, and it shows her gradual evolution of what it means to her to perform.
I have questions about a few parts in the middle of Irma Vep about when Mira gets so lost in the role that she feels like she actually is Irma Vep. It makes you question reality and whether or not what we’re seeing on screen is actually happening, or if this is all in Mira’s head. It throws you off a little because it feels a little out of place. One of the bigger problems of the show is that it feels weirdly paced, and at times it can be a little jarring when something happens that feels out of place. It makes me wonder if this needed to be eight episodes, but I will give them a pass for telling the story they wanted to tell.
The other standout performance in Irma Vep is Macaigne. He is so neurotic and obsessed with creating a perfect vision for this series that it takes him to dark places. He has a vision but like every great artist, he struggles to see his vision to its full potential. Macaigne does justice to René, and I appreciate his character throughout the series. He is shepherding this series through a lot of trouble and turmoil. Yes, some of the trouble and turmoil is his fault, but he owns it. We see René struggle mentally and emotionally, and we are rooting for him to finish the series.
I did appreciate how meta Irma Vep got, particularly with the connection between why René is the right person for this role while also showing his connection to the original Irma Vep movie. I appreciated that because it gives context to why this is such a passion project for René. It also felt meta because a large amount of the series talks about the process of making cinema and how TV can feel a little beneath making film. It was a little ironic of them to be having these conversations considering the connection between the original Irma Vep film and how a television series is viewed among the characters.
I have to give credit to Assayas for the direction and writing in this as well. He directed both the film and now the miniseries, so it gives him instant clout for expansion into what he’s already created. He has an eye for is stunning, and paints Paris in a larger-than-life type of way. I really like his visual style, as well as the sharp dialogue brought to life by all the performers. This is a worthy addition to his original Irma Vep.
Irma Vep feels a lot like an arthouse film. I feel like this would kill on the festival circuit — it has already debuted at a few festivals before heading to HBO. This will not be for everyone, as it comes off as a bit pretentious at times. If you can appreciate what it’s saying in addition to hanging in there with a little bit of an ambiguous story, this is a great addition to your queue. I like Irma Vep because you really cannot take your eyes off of Vikander. Her performance alone, along with the commentary about art and celebrity, make this a great miniseries for 2022. Proceed with caution, and watching the original Irma Vep (also on HBO Max), although not necessary, helps. It’s not what I expected it to be, which made me appreciate this even more than I thought it would.
Score: 7/10
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