If you're looking for a breathtaking, punchy rock'n'roll biopic, here are 3 good reasons to go see Kirill Serebrennikov's “Limonov, the Ballad” at the cinema.
There are some fairly conventional biopics and there are others that are more explosive. Limonov, the ballad falls more into the second category. It must be said that the figure exposed in Kirill Serebrennikov's new film has enough rock'n'roll life to take us on a journey in all directions.
After Leto, Petrov's Fever and Tchaikovsky's Wife, the Russian filmmaker focused on depicting the life of Edouard Limonov, Franco-Russian writer and political dissident, founder of the National Bolshevik Party.
A historical biopic like no other
Revolutionary activist, dandy, thug, butler or homeless, he was at the same time an angry and bellicose poet, a political agitator and the novelist of his own greatness. The life of Eduard Limonov, like a trail of sulfur, is a stroll through the bustling streets of Moscow and the skyscrapers of New York, from the alleys of Paris to the heart of the jails of Siberia during the second half of the 20th century .
Andrei Strokin
Limonov, the Ballad is a biopic adapted from the novel Limonov by French writer and director Emmanuel Carrère, published in 2011 and winner of the Renaudot Prize.
A biography disguised as an in-depth journalistic investigation, this particular work, which highlights the profound socio-political upheavals of the second half of the 20th century through the life of Limonov, attracted Kirill Serebrennikov, who made a punchy adaptation of it.
Far from being a relaxing ballad, the Russian director's film plunges us into the psyche of this controversial and contradictory figure and reveals all the complexity of his struggles and his works with numerous twists and turns and heartbreaking personal life scenes, who constantly question this personality.
Ben Whishaw's impressive performance
To play Edouard Limonov, Kirill Serebrennikov turned to the British actor Ben Whishaw, known for having played the murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume, Q in the James Bond saga but also for lending his voice to Paddington Bear .
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His versatility and acting convinced the Russian director to entrust him with Edouard Limonov's eccentric score for a striking and impressive result. If the English language was a logical choice for an international project, Ben Whishaw was an obvious choice as his transformation was transcendent according to the filmmaker:
“Ben exceeded all my expectations. He is truly a great artist. In life, Ben is totally the opposite of what Limonov was. He is a fine, kind, calm British… While in front of the camera he transforms into a very very Russian Limonov!
This radical transformation has something mysterious, even if of course there was a lot of preparation. Ben ingested a considerable amount of archive footage and soaked it up.
On the set, many people from the crew had known the real Limonov. These technicians were basically the first spectators of the film, and they were absolutely convinced: for them, there was no doubt that Limonov was among us.”
An electric and theatrical staging
Limonov, the ballad is also worth for its staging and its very rich aesthetic. Firstly, for its quality of historical reconstruction of the USSR of the 60s, 70s and 90s but also of New York of the 70s, thanks to substantial archive work and extensive and meticulous research in the creation of the sets and costumes.
Andrei Strokin
“The general style of the film is that of a comic book or a collage”explains Kirill Serebrennikov in the press kit for the film. “I wanted to use all formats: square black and white images for the Soviet Union, then a wide, color format for the United States…
I am passionate about photography and I have drawn a lot from archives. The title indicates it, this film is a 'ballad', a cine-ballad, which borrows from poetry the rhythm, the alliterations, the overlappings of time, of people…”
Lulled by rock'n'roll music, Limonov, the ballad amazes with its reconstructed scenes that we pass through from one side to the other as in a play as lively and explosive as its main character. And this organic and rhythmic experience must be experienced in a dark room.
The film “Limonov, the Ballad” by Kiril Serebrennikov is currently in cinemas.
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