Netflix's limited series 'Vladimir', based on Julia May Jonas's debut novel, has received a mixed review highlighting strong performances from Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall but criticising pacing and adaptation issues. The show, directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, follows an unnamed, unreliable narrator (Weisz) who is a middle-aged professor grappling with writer's block and her husband's Title IX hearing for affairs with students.
The review notes that while Weisz is 'reliably magnetic' and the chemistry between her and Woodall is compelling, the series 'never reaches a climax'. Comparisons are drawn to 'Fleabag' for its fourth-wall-breaking narration, but the review states that 'Vladimir' does not clear that high bar. The show tackles themes including changing sexual mores, aging, infidelity, and cancel culture.
Issues with character development are pointed out, particularly with the couple's daughter Sid and John's accusers, who are described as 'painted with a broad brush'. The review also criticises the pacing, noting that the device of the narrator's fantasies 'wears out its welcome' and that the show waits too long to explain the mechanics of the couple's open marriage.
