Irma Vep

I started watching it because of Alicia Vikandar but really liked the approach of this show. Making a TV show inside a TV show. It's funny and exciting. The director Renè's storyline is so good and just watching Alicia is just pure pleasure.

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but if you like movies and wonder how they make them then I think it's for you.

A popular actress joins a strange director and some other weird characters in a remake of an old silent film about Vampires who aren't really Vampires. I'm all in! Sure, much of it makes no sense but the fun is in the characters and what they do and say. Guess I was in the mood for something different because I like it more than most.

Assayas remakes his 1996 cult classic into a long form cheeky essay on the machinations of the film world. Here he is able to delve deeper into the characters, most notably the ticking time bomb mind of the box-office American disillusioned star, Mira (Alicia Vikander having fun with her Tomb Raider popularity status). Mira travels to France to take on the role of Irma Vep in the modern remake of Les vampires. What seems to be an easy role, and a good excuse to be in France, ends up being more than what Mira has bargained for. There is enough mystic on the character only after episode 1, giving the viewer a reason to come back for further Mira encounters of the strange kind.

There is also the director, René Vidal, (Vincent Macaigne having a neurotic time of his life). The director had only a minor part in the film version, but in this series it seems that there will be plenty of time to slowly roast the hapless director with a breakdown of artistic proportions that only Assayas can pull off (and enjoy at the same time).

Yes, there are cliche characters, but as someone who works in the film industry, they do exist. With Assayas at the helm, it is going to be one super-duper ride into the disintegrating minds of the filmmakers as reality clashes with the surreal film world. So let's all sit back, and watch the madness unfold...

If you have not seen the original Assayas movie from 1996, try watching it first. You will understand more about the idea behind this series. In short, it's just more of the same 1996 movie, but with enough details shuffled around to make it interesting to watch even if you have seen it before.

This is a remake of a movie that was telling about shooting remake of an old movie from the beginning of the 20th century, that was actually a 7h long series!

It's not for everyone, but you don't need to be neither patient nor intellectual to appreciate it. If you love cinema and love French cinema, you will appreciate this modern take on how chaotic tournage is.

This show is really well written and feels authentic. A peek into the life of a show, the actors, the director, the crew. It also feels quite personal from the director Olivier Assayas.

Give it a try and don't get influenced by the bad reviews who only watched the first episode..