How did Kirill Serebrennikov’s film about Eduard Limonov turn out?

A film about Eduard Limonov will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. A total of 19 films were included in the list of nominees for the Palme d’Or this year. One of them was the film directed by Kirill Serebrennikov “Limonov, the ballad about Eddie.” The film is based on the novel by Emmanuel Carrère, which tells about the life of the Russian writer. Filming began in 2022 and first took place in Moscow, and after the director left, it continued in Europe.

The main role in the film was played by Ben Whishaw, known for the film “Perfume. The story of a murderer,” and the poetess Elena Shchapova, the second wife of Eduard Limonov, was played by Victoria Miroshnichenko. The project is unlikely to bring Serebrennikov the main prize, but it will give a new impetus to his career, says film critic of the Snob publication Dmitry Elagin: “The main role in the film is played by British actor Ben Whishaw, so this is already a film on a global scale. In this regard, the foreign growth of Kirill Serebrennikov, who left Russia, is visible. It must be said that this film is not based on some autobiography, but on a book by Emmanuel Carrère. He met with Limonov, the novel itself is inspired by the biography of the politician and writer, but there are also fictitious facts.

So the film will be interesting to watch, because Serebrennikov could also allow himself freedom with such material. The film, it seems to me, has greater potential than the director’s previous works.

The title role is played by a world-famous actor, and in the center is an eccentric poet. This is, however, a very marketable material. As for the festival program, everything was clear with Serebrennikov: he is very popular in Cannes, as are films with the participation of famous artists. This is also a biopic, and this format is welcomed by all such platforms.

There were doubts about whether the film would get into the main competition, because Russian authors are boycotted abroad. Therefore, this is a very big achievement, it is really important. It seems to me that this is not the limit for Kirill Serebrennikov, but it is important how the film shows itself. After this project, very great opportunities open up for the director.”

The Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 14 to 25. The main competition also included Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, David Cronenberg’s Shrouds, Christophe Honoré’s My Marcello, as well as the film Anora, starring Russian actors Yuri Borisov and Mark Eidelstein. Previously, four films by Serebrennikov were shown at the festival: “The Apprentice”, “Summer”, “Petrovs in the Flu” and “Tchaikovsky’s Wife”.

The director has already managed to become a member of the competition, noted independent film critic Ivan Afanasyev: “It seems to me that, given how influential and charismatic the figure of Limonov is at the same time, but at the same time incredibly controversial not only in Russia, but also in the world, it is clear that this There will be a very relevant movie.

In general, it’s even surprising that Cannes took this film. This film, according to my personal feelings, seems to be closer to the Berlin Film Festival, which is more politicized. But perhaps Kirill Serebrennikov found some special artistic solutions.

True, in this case I very much doubt that the film can receive, say, the Palme d’Or. After all, the program features Francis Ford Coppola’s film, which he spent ten years filming. Additionally, the political environment may also play a role. But this does not mean that Serebrennikov will definitely not receive anything.”

Back in the early 2010s, first the Italian director Saverio Costanzo, and then the Polish director Pavel Pawlikowski, wanted to make a film about Limonov. Serebrennikov received a budget of $10.5 million for his project. The film became the most expensive in the director’s filmography.

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Ulyana Gorelova