Netflix’s newest racy TV series Vladimir stars Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall, following an English professor who becomes obsessed with her new good-looking colleague despite her marriage.
Whilst Rotten Tomatoes have not yet shared their score for the TV show, which released today 5 March, but many reviews have already been stellar for the brand-new Netflix series.
The Guardian’s TV critic Lucy Mangan gave the show a perfect five stars, saying that Weisz is ‘unswervingly brilliant in a TV show you’ll admire for years to come’.
Mangan went on to add: “This adaptation of the 2022 novel – starring Weisz, Leo Woodall, and John Slattery – fits it perfectly to television. It’s a proper show for proper grownups.”
Advert
What many will not realise however is that the name itself and some of the themes of the series are purposeful references to Lolita, one of the most infamous books of all time, and a text beloved by Jeffrey Epstein.
The name Vladimir is a reference to Lolita itself
Lolita follows a writer who discusses his obsession with a 12-year-old girl, later kidnapping and sexually abusing her after becoming her stepfather.
The novel was titled Vladimir as a reference to Vladimir Nabokov, the controversial author of the book.
Julia May Jonas wrote the book, with the younger man who is obsessed over by the unnamed female narrator being the titular character of the book.
Explaining why it was called this, Jonas said in an interview with Tudum that it was ‘a nod to novels that name themselves after the young woman who the man is obsessed with’.
She pointed to the novel Lolita, but also Clarissa and Pamela, adding: “I wanted to flip the script and have it come from a woman’s perspective.”
Lolita has a controversial history and was loved by Jeffrey Epstein, but the show itself is not as controversial
This is not the only reference in Vladimir, with the town bakery being named after Lolita’s matriarchy Charlotte Haze, as well as the show being set in a town named after a town from the book.
The show taking inspiration from the book may sound bizarre to many, as to modern audiences Lolita is known for its paedophilia or for its connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
The infamous paedophile named his plane the ‘Lolita Express’, his Amazon history shows he purchased multiple copies, and pictures in the Epstein files showed an inscription from the book written on a young girl’s body.
Many have claimed however that Epstein ‘didn’t understand Lolita’ and have defended the book, which is still considered a classic by many despite its deeply disturbing plot.
Despite this though Vladimir turns round the focus and, though there is an age gap between the actors, it is not about an illegal infatuation but one that is moreso morally dubious.
When questioning why it makes reference to Lolita the answer is almost certainly how undeniably influential the book is. Like it or hate it, it played a major role in the portrayal of 'forbidden' relationships for years, even if the original text itself displays one that is utterly despicable.
Vladimir is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, Jeffrey Epstein, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin