Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie

2024

Animation / Biography / Drama / History

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 63% · 27 reviews
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 1322 1.3K

poet biography based on true story docudrama novelist blood

Director

Kirill Serebrennikov Photo
Kirill Serebrennikov

Top cast

Ben Whishaw Photo
Ben Whishaw as Eddie
Donald Sumpter Photo
Donald Sumpter as Eddie's Father
Sandrine Bonnaire Photo
Sandrine Bonnaire as Radio Host Paris
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing Photo
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing as Intellectual Paris
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.15 GB
1280*778
Italian 2.0
NR
Subtitles it  
25 fps
2 hr 7 min
Seeds 2
2.36 GB
1316*800
Italian 5.1
NR
Subtitles it  
25 fps
2 hr 7 min
Seeds 5
1.15 GB
1280*938
Italian 2.0
NR
Subtitles it  
25 fps
2 hr 7 min
Seeds ...
2.36 GB
1096*804
Italian 5.1
NR
Subtitles it  
25 fps
2 hr 7 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Giuseppe_Silecchia 6 / 10

A fragmented portrait of a provocative life

Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, tackles the turbulent life of Eduard Limonov, the Soviet poet turned political antihero. From the streets of New York to the salons of Paris and the turmoil of Russian politics, the film ambitiously spans decades of Limonov's provocative journey. However, while visually striking and anchored by a strong lead performance, the film struggles to cohesively tie its many threads together.Ben Whishaw delivers a magnetic portrayal of Limonov, capturing his contradictions: the poet, the rebel, and the controversial political figure. Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Tomas Arana provide solid support, though their characters often feel secondary to Limonov's sprawling narrative.Serebrennikov's direction is bold, with moments of surrealism and striking visuals that reflect Limonov's chaotic and larger-than-life existence. Yet, the pacing is uneven, with certain segments feeling overly long or disjointed. The screenplay, co-written by Emmanuel Carrère, Pawel Pawlikowski, and Ben Hopkins, is packed with fascinating details but lacks a clear focus, leaving the audience to piece together Limonov's story without a strong emotional anchor.Despite its flaws, *Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie* is a fascinating exploration of an enigmatic figure. It's not a straightforward biopic but a kaleidoscopic look at a man who defied easy categorization. While the film may not resonate with all viewers, it succeeds in capturing the audacity and contradictions of its subject.6/10 - an ambitious but uneven portrait of a controversial icon.
Reviewed by micheleintartaglia 6 / 10

a rambling journey through "the cult of the self"

Reviewed by AlKok 6 / 10

As Uneven and Weird as Limonov Himself

This movie is a rare instance when a film gets better the longer you watch it. I'd say that if you manage to suffer through the first 20 minutes of it's runtime you will start to appreciate it's strong sides.The main cast does a good job at painting complex characters, although they are clearly confined by the weak writing.Visually, the film sometimes looks amazing with longshots and expressive camera choices. But next second the movie looks like the editor was checking out all of the buttons in Adobe Premiere and decided to forget about any sense of taste or moderation.Music-wise its strong, with some bangers, especially when they try to include some Russian soul in the music choices.It's fair to say that the goal of making a believable portrait of Edward Limonov is a rather difficult one. And the movie, with all it's questionable choices and subpart writing, managed to catch at least a little bit of magic that it should have had.
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