Review of Control (2007) by Kyle F — 23 Oct 2008

A raw, intense film about the life of Ian Curtis (lead singer of Joy Division). While I have, of course, listened to Joy Division, I never really knew the story behind the band or the suicide of their lead singer, so I didn't know any back story at all which made everything in this film quite new to me.

That said, I found this film very moving and quite personal and real. The situations Ian found himself in are so true to life, and it really is a shame he had to die so young and have such a confusing and depressing love life. But at the same time, his creative genius helped drive Joy Division to the brink of stardom (which it earned shortly before his death, and gained even more so afterwards), and it also helped to inspire a musical trend in several other artists.

I think a lot of people are looking to this movie as a story of the music of Ian and Joy Division, but anyone who has watched this can see that is entirely not the point. This film is about Ian's life, music just happened to be a large part of it. So although it does focus briefly on segments of their performances and songs, most of the movie deals with his relationships, his depression and his epilepsy.

I am glad they chose to film this in black and white, I think it added a lot to the character of the film and also made for some spectacular shots. Great camera work, good music, great acting (especially by Sam Riley), great movie.