Vladimir is Netflix’s latest bingeable offering, and the title could really be ‘A profoundly accurate glimpse into the life of a middle aged woman.’ But that’s probably too long, and the mention of ‘middle age’ would render it invisible, which is what we are.
And actually, while the eight-part series does an incredible job of reflecting the lives of midlife women straight back at them, it comes with something we don’t have in abundance: A massive does of black humour and the ability to gaze lustily at Leo Woodalls groin.
I mean, she definitely could do all of these things she’s decrying as obsolete , but unfortunately for our protagonist, she’s in her 50s and has entered the realm that mysteriously dictates this is the era your career stagnates, you become invisible and nobody listens when you speak.
Most inexplicably, this stage of life also commands that men don’t find you attractive anymore, even if you do look like Rachel Weisz. It’s like waking up on your 50th birthday to find yourself covered in a goblin filter, and men visibly recoiling when they know your age, even though you look exactly the same as you did the day before.
Our leading lady, a writer and professor, also has to contend with an open marriage and a husband who just has to take that too far – fellow college professor John is in deep trouble for sleeping with students.
John is played by John Slattery – his character is very similar to Man Men’s Roger, only with modern day consequences for his pathetic middle-aged man actions.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Inexplicably, while Rachel Weisz’s character is redundant in all areas of life that matter, she’s still expected to carry the weight of the menial expectations of those around her. Hands up who else recognises this spectacularly annoying level of visibility when nobody can see anything else about you?
Her daughter and only child, Sid, finds her ‘useless’, but is also so emotionally immature she can’t see she needs her mother.
Her husband John remains entitled enough to believe sleeping with his students isn’t wrong, turning to his wife to help him sort out the almighty mess he’s created while ignoring other needs she might have.
When her own students find out what John’s done, they confront the protagonist for not leaving him – they later report her for causing them ‘anxiety’ for being an ‘enabler’.
Let’s get this straight: Her husband does some awful things, and some of the fault lies with her for not immediately leaving him? Right.
Also, you just know that if she began a relationship with a student herself, the outrage would be doubled (John is nonchalant about his wrongdoings, the investigation into it is slow,) and she’d be called every name under the sun and become a social media cougar meme.
So far, we have the midlife woman’s essential checklist.
- Misogyny: Check!
- Ageism: Check!
- Invisibility: Check!
- Powerlessness: Check!
- A woman being forced to supress sexual desire: Check!
Is there any wonder this powerless existence leads to our protagonist engaging in sexual fantasies involving the titular Vladimir, her much younger, married-with-a-child colleague? The answer is very much a resounding no.
When life continuously hands you midlife cliché lemons, make sexual fantasy lemonade.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Ok, so our leading lady’s obsession with Vladimir gets a little creepy and she may or may not take it too far, but she hasn’t got a lot of fun left in life. Plus, it’s TV – we need to be entertained.
When a woman’s life is spiralling and she’s lost everything that was once a key part of her identity, what’s a little intense infatuation between herself, and, erm, herself?
Middle age turns life for women into such drudgery, I’m not at all surprised by her need to Vladimir to point an erection she’s responsible for, in her direction. Sex with him would be the ultimate adult fairytale.
This is a show you really need to watch until the end to enjoy, and it’s even hard to give spoilers because the entire thing is so open to interpretation. How much is real and how much of what’s playing out is in the bored protagonist’s head? You decide.
What I’ll finish by saying is the series is stylish and stylised, and the the blurred lines between fantasy and reality are just enough to make you question how much you can trust what you’re seeing, while not taking bringing you to the point of being Twin Peaks levels unsettled.
It’s a very perfectly pitched, blackly comic look at the imperfection of life and nuances of desire. I recommend tuning in to Vladimir wholeheartedly, while plotting your own midlife fantasy.
All eight episodes of Vladimir are available to stream on Netflix from March 5.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.womanandhome.com ’
