Rachel Weisz Delivers Career-Best Performance in Netflix's 'Vladimir'
Netflix's new series Vladimir presents a darkly comic exploration of desire, told across eight snappy episodes each under thirty minutes in length. This sly, incisive, and deliciously crafted show is so compelling that viewers might wish they could experience it anew. At its heart is Rachel Weisz, delivering what may very well be the finest performance of her distinguished career. Audiences will find themselves mesmerised, spellbound, and utterly transfixed by her portrayal.
A Complex Narrative Unfolds
Based on the novel by Julia May Jonas, who also wrote the screenplay, Vladimir follows a creative writing professor, played by Weisz, at a liberal arts university. Her husband, John, portrayed by John Slattery, is a professor in the same department and is under investigation for inappropriate relationships with students. Meanwhile, she becomes obsessively infatuated with a younger colleague named Vladimir, played by Leo Woodall.
The series opens with a provocative scene in a cabin, where she appears to have kidnapped the young, attractive Vladimir, chaining him to a chair. This immediately raises the question: how did events lead to this dramatic point?
Breaking the Fourth Wall
The narrative then spools back in time, cleverly adapting the novel's first-person inner monologue by having Weisz's character break the fourth wall and address the audience directly. She is arch, self-deceiving, and defensive, particularly as the campus buzzes with outrage over her husband's actions. She rationalises his behaviour, stating, "They were consensual affairs that were fun not despite the power dynamic but because of the power dynamic."
This technique of direct address is not new, but it is masterfully used here to establish her unreliability as a narrator. In one telling scene, she prepares a special salad for a faculty event, boasting, "It's the kind of f***-you salad that makes everyone embarrassed about what they brought." Later, she claims everyone loved it, yet the camera reveals the salad untouched, highlighting her tendency to frame narratives on her own terms.
Themes of Age and Obsession
Weisz's character is in her late fifties, no longer the "golden couple" she once was, and she grapples with fading sexual and social currency. She confesses, "It has come to my attention that I may never again have power over another human being. I may have lost the ability to captivate. I find that very sad, do you?" Her horror at aging fuels her obsession with Vladimir, the rising star of the department, leading to torrid sexual fantasies and envy of his wife's physique.
As her infatuation deepens, the series satirises ego and academia while exploring generational divides. It raises poignant questions: were John's students right to call out his behaviour? Has she become the "lecherous old professor" typically associated with men? These themes are woven into a complex character study of a vain, manipulative, and self-absorbed woman who also embodies the universal struggles women face as they age.
A Superb Performance
Rachel Weisz's portrayal is truly superb, capturing the psychological truth of a woman on the wane, even as the actress herself radiates vitality. Viewers cannot believe everything her character says, but they can believe in her authenticity. Vladimir is a gripping series that refuses to let its protagonist go quietly into the night, offering a riveting and thought-provoking viewing experience.
Vladimir is available to stream on Netflix now.
