Eduard Limonov (1943–2020) switched between many identities in his lifetime: A poet, exile, political leader, a revolutionary militant, a thug, an underground writer, a butler to a millionaire in Manhattan. But also a lover of beautiful women, a political agitator and a novelist who wrote of his own greatness. Limonov lived many lives, although much of what he said about himself has been contested as questionable self-mythologising – which only adds to his mystique. Eduard Limonov’s life story is a journey through Russia (where he founded the National Bolshevik Party), America and Europe. It is based on Emmanuel Carrère's 2011 book Limonov, a novelized biography of the Russian dissident.
"Ben Whishaw has never had a role quite as complex and contradictory as that of Limonov, and he rises to the occasion with a transformative lead turn that’s most compelling in its depiction of how malignant narcissism can sour romantic desperation into something uglier and more grimly depressing. It’s a fascinating, slow-motion car crash of a performance: destined for destruction, spiralling magnificently all the way down." (Isaac Feldberg, Little White Lies)