Based on the bestselling novel Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère and directed by revered Russian auteur Kirill Serebrennikov, the new film is described as “a journey through Russia, America and Europe during the second half of the 20th century”.

The character at the heart of the story is Eduard Limonov, a radical, real-life figure who had what can only be described as many colourful adventures around the world before his recent death in 2020.

According to Variety, Limonov was “an underground writer in the Soviet Union who escaped to the US where he became a punk-poet and also a butler to a millionaire in Manhattan.

“‘Eddie’ then became a literary sensation in Paris before returning to Russia where he morphed into a charismatic dissident party leader with rock star status, and [was] incarcerated by Vladimir Putin.”

Limonov, The Ballad Of Eddie: Ben Whishaw is taking on the role of one of Russia’s most notorious figures in his next film