For fans and newcomers alike, a riveting portrayal of a young life falling apart

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2008)

Anton Corbijn's film Control charts the life of Ian Curtis, the lead singer with Joy Division, who committed suicide aged just 23. Curtis is introduced as a confident, Bowie-aping, Wordsworth-quoting teenager. Very soon he is a young married father and has joined a local band, first known as Warsaw and then as Joy Division. The pressures exerted on Curtis by performing with the band, his deteriorating health and an extra-marital affair lead to the unravelling of his life and mental state. The music, the drugs and the marriage that had once brought contentment become sources of anxiety and despair, culminating in his tragic death.
Sam Riley is remarkable in the role of Ian Curtis. His acting successfully spans from cocky teenager to tortured young parent, and his performance of Joy Division songs in clubs and studios are uncannily like the real thing; his singing voice and his dancing are spot on. The performance of 'Transmission' on live television is an electrifying experience and one of the high points of the film.
Sarah Morton is excellent in the role of Deborah Curtis, Ian's wife, whose memoirs formed the basis for this film. Ian's betrayal of his faithful wife and young daughter is often painful to watch. The other band members of Joy Division, who went on to perform the band New Order after Curtis's death, are convincingly portrayed, from chirpy guitarist Bernard Sumner to surly bassist Peter Hook. Curtis's band-mates try to be supportive of him as his condition worsens, as do the music industry types surrounding him, including Rob Gretton, the band's sharp-witted agent, and Tony Wilson, the ultra-enthusiastic head of Factory Records. But the real tragedy here is that no one really understood what has happening to Ian or how to help him.
Photographer-director Anton Corbijn renders the film's settings in striking black and white. Much of the film is set in Macclesfield and the monochrome imagery plays upon Curtis's growing boredom and disillusionment with his hometown. Corbijn succeeds in creating a music biopic that is accessible to newcomers; I came to this film with little prior knowledge of the music and story of Joy Division and came away with much, much more. The film is adept at drawing connections between Curtis's life outside the band and how this fed into his lyrics and performances, notably when his relationship with his wife begins to sour and he responds by penning the words to 'She's Lost Control.' This is a superb film for fans and newcomers alike and certainly the best British film of last year.