IRMA VEP

IRMA VEP, 1996
France | 35mm, Color, 99’ | French, English
Director: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Nathalie Richard

A fast moving, provocative, dark, even uncanny comedy about the low-budget film world. In this film Cheung plays herself: A Hong Kong film star who arrives in Paris not speaking a word of French and attempts to do a remake of Louis Feuillade’s 1915 silent serial “Les Vampires.” She will play the role of Irma Vep, a burglar inspired by Catwoman. The film blurs the line between reality and fantasy, toys with the notion of identity, with the egos and jealousies of the film set coming into play. Through the lens of his spontaneous, fresh, and flowing camera, which even accepts accidents, Assayas gives a satiric look at filmmaking.