Irma Vep

An action star from Hong Kong, Maggie Cheung, comes to France to star in a new version of the silent crime thriller Les Vampires. Her director, a once-sharp genius now chasing a comeback, assigns her a rubber catsuit and speaks little French, leaving her to improvise amid a chaotic crew. The set becomes a pressure chamber where artifice, ambition, and egos collide. As the shoot spirals into confusion, Maggie watches the industry mirror her own fame and questions what it means to be a performer under bright lights. The film keeps the twists to a minimum, focusing on perception, performance, and the stubborn pull of cinema. The film uses humor to reveal the thin line between illusion and reality.

Directed by Olivier Assayas and released in 1996, Irma Vep reimagines Louis Feuillade's silent classic Les Vampires as a contemporary production. Maggie Cheung plays a glamorous star navigating a chaotic French set with eccentric crew members behind the scenes today.

Irma Vep is celebrated for its sly self reflection on how movies shape identity and fame. Cheung's rubber catsuit and the on set debates about authenticity have sparked discussions about how actors balance art and image, turning a production diary into a thoughtful critique of cinema.

Critics praised its sharp wit and emotional depth, recognizing how Assayas blends comedy and drama to examine performance, authorship, and the toll of fame. The film treats the making of a remake as a microcosm of cinema itself, exposing illusion and longing, and how the industry profits on illusion.

It earned nominations at several European film awards, with critics highlighting Maggie Cheung for her layered, restless performance. The film's audacious setup and meta humor earned widespread praise from festival audiences, reinforcing Assayas reputation as a bold contemporary voice and signaling his growth as a filmmaker.