Vladimir streaming on Netflix includes some interesting nods to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca
Rachel Weisz as the nameless narrator and John Slattery as her husband, John
Vladimir is a 2022 novel by Julia May Jonas, described by one reviewer in these words:
Darkly funny and moving, 'Vladimir' by Julia May Jonas explores issues of sex, gender, power, and desire from its own unique perspective.
The television adaptation of the novel is currently streaming on Netflix as an eight-part series starring Rachel Weisz, Leo Woodall, Jessica Henwick, Ellen Robertson and John Slattery. It has been described as a proper show for proper grown-ups!
Vladimir explores life from the perspective of M, played by Rachel Weisz, an unnamed literature professor with a dwindling career as a novelist, who is much loved by her students, her problematic husband, John, played by John Slattery, who has inappropriate relationships with some of the students, and her fixation on a younger colleague, Vladimir, played by Leo Woodall.
M sees Vladimir as being bright, fun, charming and a little bit flirtatious, but perhaps with everyone. He is married to Cynthia, and they have a young daughter, Fee. Cynthia is a bright young woman on track to gain her own English professorship. She becomes an increasingly attractive alternative for M's students to adore.
In the novel, the Rachel Weisz character is frequently referred to as the narrator. Netflix refer to her by the single letter M, despite this never being used in the book. It is easier to refer to her as the narrator in the book, or to call her 'Professor', so as to never to give her a name. This is perhaps more difficult in the TV series.
Rachel Weisz as the nameless narrator, with Leo Woodall who plays the title character, Vladimir
The story makes more than a passing nod to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, who must surely have influenced Julia May Jonas when she was writing her book. The first point is that the lead character has no name, a clever and quite difficult writing trick, which immediately makes one think of the nameless narrator in Rebecca.
M is an English professor and tutor at an American college. In episode three, she is seen teaching her students the novel, Rebecca. While doing so, she recognises the parallels between the story's themes of jealousy and obsession and her own feelings. She tries to encourage her students to connect with Daphne du Maurier's novel and see that its plot is relatable, but all they can see is the misogyny of its era.
Here at the Daphne du Maurier website, we love it when Daphne puts in an unexpected appearance in a book, a film, a song, or a television programme, and this, along with the fact that the narrator has no name, is a fabulous Rebecca moment in an immensely entertaining television series.
March 2026.