--- title: "Irma Vep" year: 2022 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/irma-vep-2022" fi1m_score: 74 critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 14 published: "2026-09-17T13:26:18.304096+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T13:26:18.784518+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Irma Vep (2022) Created by Olivier Assayas · MPA TV-MA · Comedy, Drama **Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 73 from 14 reviews *In a sentence:* Everyone on set is in crisis and the only professional in the building is wearing a velvet catsuit > Olivier Assayas remakes his own 1996 film as eight episodes about making eight episodes, and it is looser, funnier and more forgiving than that sounds. Alicia Vikander holds it steady, Lars Eidinger runs off with it, and the middle drifts. ## Synopsis Mira Harberg (Alicia Vikander), an American star fresh from a superhero film called *Doomsday*, arrives in Paris to play the catsuited thief Irma Vep in an eight-part remake of the 1915 silent serial *Les Vampires*. Its director, René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne), is anxious, medicated and unsure why he is remaking a film he already made. Mira’s assistant Regina (Devon Ross) runs the hotel suite; her former lover Laurie (Adria Arjona) has married a Hollywood director, Herman (Byron Bowers). On set she meets Zoe (Jeanne Balibar), the costume designer who fits her for a velvet suit, Carla (Nora Hamzawi), who keeps the production moving, and her co-star Gottfried (Lars Eidinger), a German actor with a crack habit. ## Review Olivier Assayas made *Irma Vep* in 1996: a small, quick film about a Hong Kong star, Maggie Cheung, arriving in Paris to play the catsuited thief of Louis Feuillade’s silent serial *Les Vampires* for a director who is coming apart. Twenty-six years later he has made it again as eight episodes of television, about a Hollywood star arriving in Paris to play the same part in an eight-episode remake for a director who is coming apart. He knows exactly how that sounds. The series is looser, kinder and funnier than the film, slack in places, and unusually honest about the business of making itself. Alicia Vikander plays Mira Harberg, who has just finished a superhero picture called *Doomsday*, is being offered another, and has come to France to do something she can respect. Vikander plays her as tired, courteous and watchful, a woman who says yes to things and works out afterwards whether she meant it. The loudest complaint about the series is that she lacks Cheung’s stillness and presence. We think that misreads the part. Mira is not yet sure she is a star, or wants to be, and Vikander plays the not knowing; by the time she is walking hotel corridors at night in the suit, something has settled in her face. Vincent Macaigne’s René Vidal is the bruised heart of it, a director on medication who tells his therapist he does not know why he is remaking a film he already made, then goes to set and makes it anyway. Lars Eidinger’s Gottfried, the German co-star, smokes crack in his trailer and delivers long, calm, indefensible opinions on acting, women and death to anyone within range. We laughed harder at him than at anything else in a long while, and then felt slightly ashamed, because Eidinger never once plays him for the laugh. Nora Hamzawi’s Carla keeps the production alive on the phone. Jeanne Balibar’s Zoe fits Mira for the suit and falls quietly in love while doing it. Denis Lenoir and Yorick Le Saux shoot it handheld, in Paris daylight and the flat white light of a working set, and the camera walks into rooms behind people who are already arguing. François Gédigier cuts conversations at the length they would take in life, so scenes end when somebody leaves rather than when the point has been made. François-Renaud Labarthe dresses René’s sets in painted flats and rented apartments got up for 1915, and Jürgen Doering’s black suit is the one object everyone on screen wants to talk about; it is velvet this time, not latex, and Zoe has her reasons. Thurston Moore’s music is mostly guitar, a low hum under the walking scenes, and it stays out of the dialogue’s way. Not all of it holds. Eight episodes give Assayas room for everyone’s subplot, and some of them go nowhere. Byron Bowers’s Herman and Adria Arjona’s Laurie, the director and the ex who left Mira for him, exist so that Los Angeles can ring Paris and be laughed at, and the Hollywood satire is the broadest thing here, pleased with itself in a way the French scenes never are. The argument about franchises and art is had at least three times, and the third time we noticed we had heard it. Episodes five and six drift. The final stretch earns the length, in ways we will not describe. What we can say is that Macaigne is handed the best scene of the eight and plays it without self-pity, and that a ninety-minute film would not have had room for it. The 1996 film was frantic and over in an evening. This is calm, digressive and content to let a set-up sit. Watch it at home, an episode or two a night, which is how it was built and how the jokes about television land best. It is for people who like films about people making films; if that is you, it is one of the better ones. *Fi1m score 74, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics take to Irma Vep, and the praise gathers in two places. The first is Alicia Vikander, whose performance as Mira is described repeatedly as mesmerising and quietly brittle, and as anchoring a series that could easily have been too pleased with itself. The second is Olivier Assayas’s direction and writing, which the reviews find sharp, witty and more accessible than an eight-part meta remake of his own 1996 film has any right to be. The ensemble is admired too, with Lars Eidinger’s scene-stealing turn singled out more than once. The reservations are about pace and self-regard: several reviews note a slow start and a good deal of industry navel-gazing before the series settles. The spread is wide, from top marks to the low forties. The two dissenters part company: Vulture argues Vikander lacks the presence Maggie Cheung brought to the original, while /Film finds it muddled and thinks it would have worked better at feature length. ### Reviews we read (14) - **The AV Club**, David Cote (A): The critic finds the series ridiculously meta and enjoyable, praising its stylish, addictive quality, graceful camerawork, and witty dialogue as a behind-the-scenes comedy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/irma-vep-tv-review-hbo-olivier-assayas-alicia-vikander-1849004984) - **The Telegraph** (80/100, inferred): The review describes the series as a sharp and witty take on modern cinema that is coolly captivating once its rhythms are tuned into. It singles out Alicia Vikander’s mesmerising performance and Assayas’s dazzling direction. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/irma-vep-review-alicia-vikander-dazzles-achingly-chic-french/) - **The Guardian**, Emine Saner (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the eight-part series fun and spiky in its extreme meta approach to the film industry. She singles out the strong ensemble cast, particularly the scene-stealing performance by Lars Eidinger. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/02/irma-vep-review-alicia-vikander-is-pure-evil-but-in-a-sexy-kind-of-way) - **The i Paper**, Rachael Sigee (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the meta premise surprisingly accessible and enjoyable despite its navel-gazing Hollywood satire. Vikander's performance as Mira stands out as beautifully untethered while the series mocks industry pretension with self-deprecating lightness. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/irma-vep-review-sky-atlantic-now-alicia-vikander-1773158) - **Evening Standard** (70/100, inferred): The review finds Vikander mesmerising in this intriguing exercise in showbiz navel-gazing that blends workplace comedy with cultural self-reference. It singles out her quiet brittleness as the performance that keeps viewers engaged despite a slow start. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/irma-vep-tv-review-alicia-vikander-b1016011.html) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (70/100, inferred): Vikander delivers a treat in a cleverly meta and intellectually loopy series about remaking Les Vampires. The show mixes broad humor with self-absorption but remains engaging for those invested in Assayas' themes of cinema and storytelling evolution. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/irma-vep-tv-review-1235151952/) - **The Times**, James Jackson (★★★★☆): The critic calls the series a sophisticated, studied satire that becomes increasingly enjoyable despite its meta premise. He highlights the playful creative vanity-versus-commerce elements as a particular strength. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/irma-vep-review-alicia-vikander-5dztjt5xz) - **Variety**, Daniel D'Addario (70/100, inferred): The series offers shrewd industry commentary on remakes, superhero franchises and artistic vs. commercial pressures. Vikander anchors it with a clever, resourceful performance that evolves from exhausted rule-follower to liberated rebel. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/irma-vep-hbo-alicia-vikander-1235282723/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (45/100, inferred): The critic sees tantalizing failures in the series, praising its playful intertextuality and supporting elements but complaining that Alicia Vikander lacks the star power and presence of Maggie Cheung in the central role. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/irma-vep-show-review-alicia-vikander-is-no-maggie-cheung.html) - **Consequence**, Clint Worthing (A): Assayas delivers an intoxicating, self-reflexive remake that mines satire from his own career and the film industry. Vikander gives one of her best performances as the lead navigating art, life, and blockbuster pressures. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/06/irma-vep-review-hbo-alicia-vikander/) - **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the HBO miniseries a clever and sophisticated expansion of Assayas's original 1996 film, praising its sharp writing, impeccable direction, and insightful take on art versus commerce in contemporary TV. He singles out the longform format for allowing enjoyable digressions into the production process and meta elements while celebrating the possibilities of adaptation. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/06/06/tv/irma-vep-tv-series-olivier-assayas-alicia-vikander) - **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (B+): The series expands on Assayas's 1996 film into a personal, honest exploration of art and the self once it hits its stride in later episodes. It is praised for challenging meta storytelling but criticized for taking too long to get going. [Read](https://collider.com/irma-vep-review-olivier-assayas-alicia-vikander-hbo/) - **Paste**, Max Covill (8.4): Assayas creates a strikingly unique meta-sequel that reimagines his own 1996 film for the television era with a strong ensemble. It excels through delightful interpersonal scenes and character interactions among the eclectic cast. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/irma-vep/irma-vep-review) - **/Film**, Barry Levitt (40/100, inferred): The miniseries is a muddled expansion that fails to cohere despite strong ideas, writing, and performances from Vikander and the cast. Its critique of Hollywood blockbusters is noted, but the chaos feels grating rather than effective, suggesting it would have worked better as a film like the 1996 original. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/883820/irma-vep-review-olivier-assayas-turns-his-wonderful-1996-film-into-a-muddled-miniseries/) ## Details - **Created by:** Olivier Assayas - **Creator:** Olivier Assayas - **Director:** Olivier Assayas - **Writer:** Olivier Assayas - **Cinematography:** Denis Lenoir, Yorick Le Saux - **Editor:** François Gédigier - **Music:** Thurston Moore - **Production design:** François-Renaud Labarthe - **Costume design:** Jürgen Doering - **Producer:** Jes Anderson - **Cast:** Alicia Vikander as Mira Harberg; Vincent Macaigne as René Vidal; Lars Eidinger as Gottfried; Devon Ross as Regina; Nora Hamzawi as Carla; Jeanne Balibar as Zoe; Adria Arjona as Laurie; Byron Bowers as Herman - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 6 June 2022 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCPgRPEE4GY ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Apple TV: buy, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Irma Vep* (1996): The original: Maggie Cheung, latex, and a director coming apart in a fraction of the time - *Day for Night* (1973): Truffaut’s film about a film shoot, where every crisis is somebody else’s love life - *The Player* (1992), Fi1m 85: Altman’s Hollywood satire, meaner than this and just as fond of cameos — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-player.md) - *Clouds of Sils Maria* (2014): Assayas again, an actress and her assistant rehearsing a play that keeps turning into their lives - *Living in Oblivion* (1995): A low-budget shoot in New York goes wrong in every way a shoot can --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/irma-vep-2022