Irma Vep

Zoe: Hop on!

- Sorry I'm late. - No stress.

Zoe.

Hi, Gottfried. Where are you?

I don't know.

I'm at this party.

Zoe: (on phone) How did you get there?

Uh, I'm not sure.

Gottfried, I need an address.

Let me ask... Lady.

- Lady, sorry, I, I didn't catch your name. - (speaks French)

- What? - I didn't catch your name.

I'm Ondine.

- Ondine, honey-- - Yes.

- I need your address. - Oh, uh.

Did you get it?

No, I didn't get a single word.

Ask her to come closer to the phone and repeat.

Excuse me, can you repeat it?

Um...

Gottfried: Superb.

Zoe: Gottfried is partying with the crew.

- It's out of town in Montreuil. - Yeah, I did a zombie flick with that junkie.

- Is he still using? - I can't answer that question.

Jesus Christ! You scored for him?

I can't answer that question.

- You have it on you? - (both laughing)

I'll drop you at the show.

- It's safer. - No, no! I-I'm coming with you.

Well, that could get us in major trouble.

Yeah, no, we're already in major trouble. (laughs)

Let's go! Woo!

Let's go see Gottfried!

("Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys playing)

Ah!

Ah, that's better.

You don't want to go to this Royal Trux show.

It's their one date in Europe.

They probably won't even show up.

You stay with us!

I can't believe René agreed to this.

He always said he wouldn't touch TV.

Jeremie: But we're not doing TV.

It's a serial...

exactly like in the silent era.

What's the difference?

Well, it's about going back to the roots.

All great novelists in the 19th century were serialized.

I hear you, but to everyone else,

it's still a TV series based on a silent serial.

Yeah, but series have history.

They didn't just pop out of nowhere.

Serials became novels.

They could be seen as long movies.

- Edmond: Hi, Mira. - Zoe: No, they're not long movies.

They're content. Industrial entertainment ruled by algorithms.

Mira, what would you like to drink?

A beer is fine. Thanks.

Well, early cinema was content.

No, absolutely not. It was the opposite of content.

They had no idea what they were doing.

They were inventing the medium

and went where their imagination took them.

Regina: Mm, I beg to differ.

They invented the projector,

got the audience interested, and... they had to generate

content to keep people hooked.

What are your issues with series?

Because you have platforms.

They need content, so you stretch the content.

You adapt to the market. That's the opposite of art.

I grew up on re-runs of "Dallas."

I heard Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a fan, too.

I used to jerk off to Sue Ellen.

- Sue Ellen, really? - Gottfried: She was so hot.

But I would've loved to fuck Bobby Ewing, too.

Thank you, Gottfried, for sharing that with us.

You make a TV show... you're a slave to the ratings.

- It's simple. - Yeah, I agree.

N-Now the industry is too aware

of what their audience wants.

- Too much marketing. - Exactly.

That's not what art should be about.

Who cares if cinema is art?

I personally don't give a flying

fuck.

Dude, stop being annoying.

Zoe: Cinema is better than art.

It captures reality in ways other arts don't.

Blah, blah, blah.

You're just being a pain in the ass.

I'm sorry, girl.

I have trouble dealing with post-modern lesbians.

Ooh, I can't believe it. He just called me a post-modern lesbian.

He just called me a post-modern lesbian!

Oh my god! I feel so insulted.

Did you hear what he just said?

I was curious. I just wanted to benefit from your insights.

Well...

there you are.

Oops... You had it coming.

What stupid cocktail were you drinking?

- How can anybody drink this lime? - (laughter)

Okay, your cab's here.

Um... Zoe's scooter is fine.

It's 4 A.M.

I'm not letting you ride back in the rain

with a drunken madwoman.

Drunk, sure. Mad, um, well, possibly.

Mira: See you in a bit.

- And cover up. - (laughter)

- (rain pattering) - Ondine: Gottfried?

- (laughter) - Ondine: Gottfried?

- Jeremie: Gottfried? - Ondine: Ooh.

Ondine: Oh là. Gottfried?

Edmond: Are you okay?

Jeremie: Let's go inside, maybe.

- Shit. The production driver. - Don't worry. Cool it.

- (both say hello) - Are you ready to go?

They're waiting for us on set.

Mira needs a minute to freshen up.

- Driver: As soon as you can. - Yeah.

- (water running) - Mira: Ah! God! Fuck! Freezing!

- Hi, Gottfried. Ooh. - (retching)

I'm good. How are you?

- Go straight to makeup? - Yeah, straight to makeup.

- Hi, morning. - Oh, hi, ah.

Okay... so... here's the thing.

Y-You managed to get, um, yourself hired by,

uh, the Renault-Duval bank.

Obviously, um, the Vampires have a plan.

- Sure. - Okay.

- Are you with me? - Mm... I'm with you.

- Okay? - Yeah.

No, because it looked like you were out of it.

No, no, no. I-I, I was just telling them I had

an amazing night's sleep,

and now I'm... ready.

- Okay, good. - And I'm focused.

No, because for a second,

it looked like you were passing out, so, um.

Anyway, okay. Um, so.

The Vampires got the intel

that, um, the bank is about to make a major

cash transfer to Rouen.

- A-Any idea where, uh, Rouen is? - Uh...

- S-Should I, should I know? - No, no, no, not at all.

- Okay, yeah, I don't. - Maybe the only thing you have to know is that,

uh, it's two hours from Paris by train.

- Two hours. Pretty-- - Yeah, wh-whatever it is.

So... a clerk named Métadier will be the courier.

It's, um, this guy, uh...

I'm Métadier.

Irma Vep. (chuckles)

René: Okay, in case he cannot make it,

the banker, yeah, uh, Renault-Duval,

- uh, this, uh, gentleman here... - Excuse me.

- René: ...uh, has chosen-- - Oh, you're amazing.

Please, focus, focus, focus

because focus, please.

So...

-this gentleman has chosen Juliette Berteaux...

Mm.

- meaning Irma Vep... - Mm.

meaning you...

to be his backup courier in case

he isn't able to make it to work.

Look.

Mm, there it is.

Yeah, this is the, the envelope with the cash.

- The envelope. - Yeah.

Yeah, uh, um... okay.

So, th-thi-- P-Please. Th-Th-This, this envelope...

- is in this briefcase, okay? - Mira: Yeah.

C-Can, can I, can I show you?

This briefcase is...

is... in this safe, okay?

Let, let, let me put it in this safe, okay.

Uh...

- so, th-this is the key. - Yes.

So, obviously the Vampires

want to get rid of Métadier.

Can you, can you just, uh, s-say that name again?

René: Oh, uh, Mé-ta-dier.

No, but they have to get rid of him.

- Mira: Yeah, yeah. - You see him, rid.

-Métadier. -René: Yeah, Métadier. You have it.