HBO’s new series “Irma Vep,” starring Swedish Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, is a clever satire of the entertainment industry … with a psychological bent.
Premiering Monday, June 6 at 9 p.m., the series is mostly in English with some French subtitles. It’s based on the 1996 film of the same name, which followed a film crew led by a volatile director remaking a 1915 French noir called “Les Vampires,” about a group of criminals including Irma Vep, who wore a black catsuit.
The “Irma Vep” series has a similar premise, updated for modern times. Vikander stars as Mira, an American actress who’s on a press tour promoting “Doomsday,” a superhero movie in which she stars. Her agent Zelda (Carrie Brownstein) wants her to continue doing more superhero fare, but Mira is disillusioned with her career. So, she opts to live in Paris to star in an artsy, Gothic remake of the French noir film “Les Vampires,” in which she’ll play Irma Vep, who she describes as “the evil muse of a criminal gang.”
Mira is coming off of a breakup with her ex-assistant, Lori (Adria Arjona); meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend, an actor (Tom Sturridge), is also in Paris turning her personal life into a labyrinth. Her director Rene Vidal (Vincent Macaigne) struggles with depression, and he wants to hew so closely to the original “Les Vampires” that many of his actors are having trouble parsing out their character’s motivations.
Like all TV shows about making other shows or movies, “Irma Vep” is meta, and pokes fun at the absurdities of the entertainment industry. Aside from the surreal nature of seeing a famous actress, Vikander, play famous actress, Mira — deftly navigating interviews with the press onscreen (not unlike how Vikander herself does in real life) — “Irma Vep” also features scenes of actors discussing their characters’ motives (while Rene shouts back, “The next time you say ‘motivations,’ I’ll strangle you!”). As one scene-stealing actor (played by Lars Eidinger) says, “I’ve been off crack for a full 24 hours.” There are also many nuts-and-bolts scenes about what it takes to make a project such as “Irma Vep.”
It’s impossible for a show like this to avoid navel-gazing territory, but that’s the nature of the genre. “Irma Vep” is consistently entertaining and infused with a sense of playful unpredictability, with scenes shifting in tone from dark humor to melancholia. Since the story often jumps from following Mira or Rene — to scenes of the noir movie within the show (which features top hats, dungeons, and grandiose dialogue such as “I am the vampire’s grand inquisitor,”) — it sometime can feel like the series is casting its net in many different directions. But, it’s never confusing, and it keeps viewers on their toes as Mira’s story starts echoing her character. The transporting visuals of Paris are a nice touch, too.
Vikander plays Mira as jaded and wry in a “been there, done that” kind of way. Her American accent is halting at times, but it doesn’t distract much from an otherwise playful performance that sees her disappear into the role.
For anyone who enjoys shows such as “Extras” and “Call My Agent” or movies including “Birdman,” “Irma Vep” is a welcome addition to the genre of the film and TV industry turning within itself.
