Passing through Paris, the filmmaker, who lives between Germany and France and whose latest film, Limonov, la balladededicated to the Russian writer and activist, who died in 2020, is released in theaters on Wednesday December 4, evokes the genesis of his feature film, impacted by the Russian intervention in Ukraine, but above all the fate of his former student, the director on stage Evguénia Berkovitch, detained in prison like other opponents of the Kremlin and anti-war.
If Eduard Limonov were alive today, what do you think his attitude would have been towards the Kremlin and the conflict in Ukraine?
No one knows. On the one hand, we can say that the Kremlin's “special military operation” in Ukraine is, in a certain sense, the realization of the ideas of the nationalist imperialist Limonov: he spoke of war against the West and insisted that he wanted to destroy Russia – all elements of the current speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, it is usually considered that Limonov was a perpetual dissident: in essence, he was opposed to the powerful of this world and, consequently, he would be against the authoritarian regime of the Kremlin.
But even if he were still alive, it is actually impossible to speculate as to what position Limonov would have taken regarding the war in Ukraine and the isolation he finds himself in today. Russia. Above all, Limonov is a figure of resentment, which therefore induces a deceptive present and an idealized past. He blames the whole world for its own failures, for its poverty, for its modest condition; he accuses everyone of scheming against Russia. But resentment, as history reminds us, leads to war.
Limonov was also in prison. Today, artists, like your former student, the director Evgenia Berkovitch, are in detention. Is there a historical parallel?
I absolutely wouldn't put them on the same level. Jenia's arrest and conviction [le cinéaste utilise le diminutif utilisé en nom de scène par Evguénia Berkovitch] bear witness to the cruel criminal repression of power in Russia which falls on those who do not please it. Jenia, who has two children in Moscow, is in prison for her poems and her theatrical activity, which is a tragedy. From her cell, she continued to work and write, especially poems for her daughters. But, indeed, Limonov and Evgenia Berkovitch were both convicted of extremism: he for his radical political ideas, she for her anti-war poems written for humanist and non-political purposes. See the difference yourself!
You have 60.57% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
