‘Limonov – The Ballad’ Review: Ben Whishaw is Unrestrained in Inspired Biopic of the Rebel Vagabond | Cannes

Returning to the Croisette with a euphoric, rebellious bang, Cannes regular Kirill Serebrennikov (2018’s Leto, 2021’s Petrov’s Flu, 2022’s Tchaikovsky’s Wife) brings Limonov – The Ballad, an English-language adaptation of Emmanuel Carrère’s biographical novel Limonov. Ben Whishaw stars as the titular controversial revolutionary, Eduard Limonov, who grew up in Dzerzhinsk and became a well-known figure in the Soviet underground, a Balkan soldier, a Parisian dandy, valet to a New York billionaire and more. 

In 1969, Limonov is introduced as a young poet, confident in his writing, as he squares off against an older man who is content with his quiet life in Kharkiv, the Ukrainian city they both grew up in. Eduard, also known as Eddie, moves to Moscow to pursue his career as a poet, whilst in the Russian capital he meets Elena (Viktoria Miroshnichenko), a beautiful model, who Eddie quickly falls for. The authorities soon take issue with him for publishing his work outside the Soviet Writers Union, where he proposes that he be exiled. 

The two lovers move stateside to New York City which proves a big change in lifestyle for both of them. This is where their struggles begin as they both eventually fail to make waves in their careers and Elena cheats on Eddie, which leads to them breaking up. Limonov loses his mind as he descends into a deeply depressive state which causes him to make many questionable decisions as he prowls NYC’s streets where he ends up having sex with a homeless man on the street (which he later recommends that every man should try at least once). 

Whishaw’s Limonov is portrayed as a punk rock rebel seeking fame by being as controversial as possible. There is only one period during his life, depicted in the film, where his outer persona settles down, which happens just after hitting his aforementioned breaking point. Serebrennikov is happy to showcase Limonov’s life with an unrestrained touch throughout but hesitates to show his dire actions later in life where he sent his men to fight in Donbas on the side of the Russian separatists. By glossing over such a big part of what makes him a troubled figure, the film’s integrity comes under question as it’s happy to portray Limonov as a rage-filled outlaw but shies away from the terrible person he became.

Ben Whishaw gives a delectable performance as he chews on Serebrennikov, Ben Hopkins and Paweł Pawlikowski’s jam-packed screenplay. He finds great joy in Limonov’s many crazed outbreaks which reads similar to Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, as fittingly referenced during the film. This happens during a meeting with a publisher as he’s given feedback on his first book, based on his wayward life as a dissident, which contradicts his calm nature during the meeting. Limonov is a fascinating central figure but he is also a dislikeable protagonist, he can be tedious at times and on reflection it’s easy to question if the biopic fully portrays the real-life figure properly. The rest of the cast does a fine job to support Whishaw who is ultimately the reason the film works, alongside Serebrennikov’s daring filmmaking.

Limonov: The Ballad is a superb cinematic exercise, the filmmaking adds to the frantic chaos, heightening the mania of Whishaw’s performance. At one point, Limonov breaks out of the film set as the film cleverly glosses over years by going from set to set. It’s best described as rock ‘n’ roll filmmaking. Another inspired choice is the inclusion of some terrific stop-motion animation that breaks up each era of his story. It’s a character study that chronicles the unruly poet-turned-political leader featuring a stupendous soundtrack, great energy and excellent craftsmanship with the only drawback being shyness to dig into the nitty gritty of his later life.

Grade: B

This review is from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival where Limonov – The Ballad premiered in Competition. It does not yet have U.S. distribution.