“Limonov, the Ballad” by Kirill Serebrennikov: “The rhetoric that led to the war in Ukraine came from Limonov”

Shunned at Cannes where it appeared in competition, Limonov, la balladeadaptation of a novel by Emmanuel Carrère, looks back on part of the existence of the Russian poet and activist in an unknown biopic. Because, in his baroque and polychrome style where theater, music, literature, photography and fashion meet, Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov explores some key moments in the existence of this elusive troublemaker.

A young worker frequenting the literary circles of Kharkov (now Ukraine) in the 1960s, he went into exile in New York in 1974. It is there that the film multiplies its formal feats, revealing behind the scenes of the sets, while displaying violent disturbing and ambiguous. Indeed, what animates the title character played in English (!) by the British actor Ben Whishaw is an energy drawn from suffering and shaken romantic passion.

Isn't it paradoxical that a Russian filmmaker portrays a Russian character in English?

We are in the globalization of cinema with a Russian director who adapts the novel by a French author on a Russian character, played by an English actor in a film financed by Italians. Ultimately, we were forced to shoot in this English language. But I'm even more happy because it allowed me to work with a fantastic actor, Ben Whishaw.