Better to Burn Out Than To Fade Away (?)

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2012)

This is one of my favorite films of all time about one of my favorite bands of all time. I heard about Joy Division randomly, through the inter-webs when I was a few years younger, and when I found out Control was in the film festival circuits, I got pumped and anxiously awaited. Awaiting anything tends to raise expectations, and I tend to disappoint easily. This movie did not do that in the remotest, to my utter surprise. This movie is beautifully shot (black and white being an amazing choice for such a bleak story set in a bleak town/time) and amazingly acted/written/scored. The band really plays well together on screen, and Riley kills it as Curtis - especially with the dancing. It was very haunting to watch, having seen docs on Ian and comparing them in my mind. He probably deserved a little more recognition than he received. Just like this film.
This is one of the best and (sadly) most realistic biopics ever made. It is extremely depressing, but I believe that is because Ian had the knowledge that few of us gain at such a young age (I can especially relate as I am 23 at present) that the pursuit of more, usually only leads to more sadness.
On the brink of super-stardom, he realized that celebrity is just another invention of distraction - a method of control, and Ian was certainly someone who had enough control in his life.
I think there are plenty of ways of handling depression better than Ian does, but who am I, or anyone really, to judge how he lived his life? The sad truth is, his pain comes out in his 2 albums of art so beautifully that the music doesn't even seem sad at first listen, but a quick glance at his lyrics will show you, few artists in the spotlight have ever been in more pain. RIP Ian - and major props to Anton Corbijn, a true photographer (how else could his shots be so deliberately composed?), filmmaker and Joy Division fan.
According to IMDb, he mortgaged his house to pay for Control - so thank you to Mr. Corbijn for having courage in your art!