Netflix is preparing a new series that fuels fantasies, desire, and binge-watching

It took time, but the world of cinema has finally begun to shed light on female sexuality in all its complexity and beauty. From All Fours, through Dying For Sex, to the controversial Babygirl starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, these works have become pop culture phenomena over the past few years, powerfully portraying the force of female desire. Now Netflix has announced a new provocative thriller miniseries, Vladimir, an adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s 2022 novel that reverses the genders in the familiar literary dynamic of the older man and the younger woman, with the title itself alluding to books named after the young woman who obsesses a male protagonist. Filled with secrets, dark humor, and complex characters, the miniseries explores what happens when a woman becomes obsessed with turning her fantasies into reality. “I wanted to change the perspective and tell it from a woman’s point of view,” Julia said.

Related: Sex is back on the big screen. Here is our pick of the most exciting films of the season

What is it about?

Like the novel it is based on, Vladimir follows a middle-aged professor (Rachel Weisz) who falls in love with her new, younger colleague Vladimir (Leo Woodall) and realizes that her fantasies about him are increasingly taking control of her life.

“When the world of a passionate but reckless professor begins to unravel, she becomes dangerously obsessed with her charismatic new colleague. As boundaries blur and secrets smolder, she will be willing to risk everything to turn her most scandalous fantasies into reality,” the official synopsis states.

Netflix

On a deeper conceptual level, the series examines the relationship between gender and desire. “It explores what women feel they are allowed to want, and how they are allowed to want,” Julia May Jonas told Netflix. The protagonist is confronting aging as well as personal and professional stagnation. Her writing career has stalled, interest in her once-popular university course is declining, and her open marriage to a husband accused of non-consensual relationships is becoming increasingly unbearable.

“She feels close to the audience because of all her insecurities about aging, as well as the fear that women are expected, as they grow older, to desire less, take up less space, and be more in the service of others.”

Who stars in Vladimir?

Alongside Rachel and Leo, the series also stars John Slattery (from Mad Men) as the protagonist’s husband, himself a writer and professor, as well as Jessica Henwick (from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) as Vladimir’s wife. Rachel also serves as an executive producer on the series, together with Sharon Horgan.

Netflix

When does Vladimir premiere?

Fortunately, we do not have long to wait. The eight-episode series will be available on Netflix starting March 5.