Control is a biographical drama about the life, and death, of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. The entire movie is shot in black and white, which I thought was a bold choice. Don't go into this expecting a deep look into Joy Division itself, this is about one person, with the areas of his life there to tell a story of him alone.
The movie doesn't shy away from who this man was, specifically the relationship with his wife, and also his epilepsy.
I feel like this movie will have a bigger emotional impact on fans of the music, where as I just didn't find it interesting. This is a well-made movie, but given the honesty with the tone, it wasn't trying to have the bombast of Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody or even the more intimate Nowhere Man. Control is what I would expect an honest biographical film about Kurt Cobain to be: not happy, not funny, not making this person out to be a saint.
I doubt I'd recommend this to anyone who isn't a hardcore Joy Division fan, even then, just know what you're getting into.
Obviously a lot better than most music biopics because of the arthouse approach. The film leaves much more room to interpret for the viewer (having some prior knowledge of artists like The Velvet Underground, David Bowie and the punk scene certainly helps) and its main characters can be challenging to relate to. It thankfully doesn't try to glamorize the protagonist, it would've been the wrong choice for someone like Ian Curtis. I've always been drawn to Joy Division's music because of his poetry, and the character portrait we get here re-contextualizes a lot of their music for me. The film's ability to place the viewer in his head is easily the best thing about it. Corbijn's background in photography helps with capturing an isolating, grey atmosphere, he's very aware of how to place elements within the frame. Sam Riley's performance contains all the right elements (the youthful innocent look; the alienlike dancing; the voice; the depressing attitude without going overboard) and because of all those aspects the film packs a serious punch during the third act, even if you know what's coming. It's not perfect, you'll still find a couple of those typical music biopic tropes here (cheating plotline; 'event X in the singer's life leads to song Y' is used multiple times) and occasionally the introduction of new plot elements can feel somewhat haphazard, but I do recommend it for sure. Would it stand out as much if you'd remove the context of the music? I'm honestly not sure. I think there are more compelling cinematic portraits of men dealing with similar issues as Ian Curtis, so maybe don't watch it if you don't care about Joy Division as a band.
7/10
This movie is so emotional and extremely worth watching if you'd like to dive into the world of Ian Curtis. His inner conflicts are well shown and the melancholy of the movie just fits into the overall feeling of this artwork and also creates the opportunity to really relate to Ian's struggles. The soundtracks guide you through the different phases of his life and create a feeling of eternity. In the end, I couldn't help myself but cry like a baby. Thank you, Anton Corbijn and all others involved - this will always be a fascinating insight into one of the most interesting and talented persons that have ever existed.
Ian Curtis commits suicide by remorse of his adultery.
Shout by Jack WebsterBlockedParent2021-12-29T22:12:33Z
I got into a trance watching ‘Control.’ Sam Davis and the other cast portray the events of Ian Curtis and Joy Division with great emotion that is sensitive and very human.
As a fan of Joy Division and it’s subsequent line up of New Order, it was very enjoyable. But if you aren’t into their music, you would still enjoy this biopic, it’s one of the better more faithful ones of the genre, and not too bleak as you would expect it to be.