12/12 ForReel Score | 5/5 Stars

Twenty-six years after its initial release, writer/director Olivier Assayas returns to the story of Irma Vep, the fictionalized satire about the remaking of the classic French silent film, Les Vampires. Assayas felt his 1996 film had only scratched the surface of the story he wanted to tell. The series is not quite a remake, nor a sequel, but an extension of the original work. With the new platform, he is able to expand on the story, go into new directions, and come to a finite conclusion.

In the current iteration, Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) plays Mira, an actress who comes to Paris under the guise of changing up her career. Over big blockbusters, Mira is ready to perform in a production of substance. That is, if the director Vincent Macaigne, played by René Vidal (The Innocents), can keep his chaos in check. He is clinically insane and haunted by the story, but that is what makes him a talented filmmaker.

Like in his previous works, Assayas’s affinity for sapphic theming continues. The chemistry between Mira and Lauria (Adria Arjona, Emerald City) is galvanizing with the sizzling hot sexual tension between them. The supremacy Lauria’s character holds over Mira is utterly tantalizing. One scene in particular has her demanding orders like a dominatrix: “Sit back. Put your hands on the armchair. Now open your legs. Not too much… There.” Arjona is powerful. Her eroticism swoons not only Mira, but the audience as well.

Much like Maggie Cheung (In the Mood for Love), who played a version of herself in the 1996 film, Vikander doesn’t debate consequences - she just goes for it. Her electric passion for cinema is on constant display. As Mira, she offers an in depth look at a Hollywood starlet who’s losing herself in the foreign world of French cinema, especially when in the famed black catsuit. Irma Vep may be one of her most complex roles to date and she glides through it with ease.

Assayas is at his best. His major focus has always been on improvisation, believing real magic happens in the moment as the art forms itself. Never wanting to be a hindrance to the creative process, Assayas prefers to step back, observe the actors, and act more as a critic than a director. This presents an open space for the actors to experiment and honors film’s inherent collaborative process.

Irma Vep is more relevant than ever right now. The filmmaking process is in constant evolution, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. There is the question of whether a story is worthy of an 8 hour miniseries, then should it be released episodically, in theaters, or on streaming. Much of the technical aspect is up in the air right now. In an interview with Variety, Assayas states, “You know everything in the past of cinema, in the history of cinema, seemed to have just exploded and [now] you’re trying to understand where the new picture is and I think it’s an exciting moment to make [something] about cinema, and especially going back to the basics, back to the first time people could make narrative films… a way of going back to where it all started and try to see how much it has changed and how much it’s looking for itself. Movies are not about answers, they're about questions. Here is about questioning the current state of cinema… trying to understand where art is going”.

The film Irma Vep was made in the moment years ago, never fully finished, and with much more to add to the universe. It’s awe inspiring to see the expansion of Irma Vep. No longer hindered by time constraints that impeded the 1996 film, Assayas is able to fully indulge himself in the full potential of the narrative. The slow burn of the series generates an obsessive intrigue. It allows more time to develop the characters, amp up the dramatics, and hone in on the mystic nature of the story. Overflowing with substance, Assayas proves once again that cinema is freedom.

If the premiering episode, "The Severed Head", is any indicator, the series will dazzle with its magnetic presence. It is intellectual and patient, taking half the episode to flesh out Mira’s character before even arriving on set. Assayas offers a masterclass of filmmaking, supported by top notch acting, directing, production value, and writing. The series is so believable that at times, it feels like the viewer is watching a documentary. Irma Vep, is the perfect venue to keep audiences entertained in the usually grave release months of the summer. So take joy in diving into this lively ghost story and revive what we almost lost.

EPISODIC REVIEW: "Irma Vep", Episodes 1: Haunted By the Echos of the Past