absorbing portrait of a talented but torn individual

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2010)

Before Morrissey and The Smiths, there was Ian Curtis and Joy Division. Their music was already retro by the time I was old enough to buy my own records; I had a vague awareness of Love Will Tear Us Apart as a decent track by a band I wasn't particularly enamored with. Although scenes of Joy Division performing and recording are copious in this film, the good news is you don't have to be a fan of the music to appreciate this assured debut from photographer Corbijn.
Fine acting and subtle helming make this an above-par cinema experience. Samantha Morton is spell-binding, utterly convincing as a teenage schoolgirl fumbling her way through relationships with sulky, spotty boys. A 30-year old seasoned actress giving such an utterly convincing portrayal of pubescent naiveté and guile is quite a triumph. Sam Riley encapsulates the ill-fated Curtis. The problem with biopics is we often bring our own knowledge and intimacy with the subject to the performance, daring the actor to try and push that aside. In recent years, we have seen some take up that challenge magnificently (e.g. Ali, Capote, Ray, The Queen), while other have fallen short (Goodbye Bifana). I came to Control unencumbered by any emotional attachment to, or photographic memories of, Ian Curtis, but I believed in this portrayal of a talented, poetic, troubled, conscientious lead singer of a 70s band. I do have visceral memories of 1970s Britain that the film evoked wonderfully. Ford Cortinas, flares, record players, boys in make up... Corbijn fills the frame with stark geometric lines (most obviously in exterior shots of council house high rises), conjuring up the bleakness and isolation of the times. Jim Callaghan and the Winter of Discontent are never mentioned, but they permeate every shot. There is a deft economy in dialogue; marriage is mentioned, and then happens, Ian talks about joining a band, and then sings at their gig. Given Corbijn's CV you would expect competent framing; that he is able to handle shot flow so well proves he is as good a director as he is photographer.
Joy Division and Ian Curtis are iconic figures in 70s and 80s Britain, pioneers in the Manchester sound and an indispensable part of the soundtrack that defines those times. The film pays off as a thumbnail portrait of one aspect of Britain's recent cultural history. More importantly, it succeeds as cinema, offering a nuanced tale of one man's demise that will resonate with audiences non-cognisant with the UKs musical heritage.