Control
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk

An amazing film about the life of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, whose personal troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23; Control tells Curtis’ story from his childhood days in 1973 right through to his death in 1980. A brilliant drama with standout performances from Samantha Morton and Sam Riley, the film is gripping, funky and stylish.

This film is great. If you’re looking for a good, solid British drama that isn’t yet another Lock Stock clone and just so happens to be based on a true story…then this is the film for you. First time director Anton Corbijn has taken the autobiography ‘Touching from a Distance’ written by Deborah Curtis, Ian’s widowed wife, and (with the help of some talented writers), has masterfully turned it into this film which looks so good, it could almost be a work of art.

Shot completely in black and white, this film has a real classic indie quality to it. It’s almost like a window in the past. Every camera shot has been setup to support the ‘mood of the moment’ and it is really like the viewer has stepped back in time to the mid – late seventies. Within minutes, you will see why Control has been nominated and won so many awards.

Anton Corbijn’s film starts in 1973, when Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) is still at school. It shows him as a dreamer, a David Bowie fan and a fan of all things to do with the Manchester Music scene. He meets Deborah (Samantha Morton), and the two of them get married at a very young age. Straight away, Ian comes across as a poet – very artistic, but also very troubled. It is clear that married life may not be the right thing for him as he is a dreamer – distant but with a sensitive side.

Curtis famously became inspired to become a singer when he saw a Sex Pistol’s concert; the film shows this and how he teams up with his long term friends Peter Hook (Joe Anderson), Bernard Sumner (James Anthony Pearson) and Stephen Morris (Harry Treadaway) to form a band. The film shows how the group become involved with the host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ Tony Wilson (Craig Parkinson), acquire a new manager Rob Gretton (Toby Kebbell) and ultimately rise to stardom.

There’s more to this film than Joy Division though as Control burrows deep beneath Curtis’ skin and shows how the pressures of his life in music and being married at such a young age affected him. It shows Curtis’s biggest curse – epilepsy, his bouts of depression and his fascination and love for a beautiful and sophisticated amateur journalist Annik (Alexandra Maria Lara). Sam Riley’s performance is outstanding and deserving of praise and awards. He completely transforms himself into the character of Ian Curtis and is entirely convincing in the role.

Samantha Morton is wonderful as Deborah, Ian’s loving wife, who is completely unprepared for the transformation of her sweetheart from a sweet, adoring teenager into an ambitious star who is the object of many-an-affection.

It’s a sad story but rarely depressing with a terrific soundtrack. It celebrates Ian Curtis’ life and presents what resembles a genuinely honest view of the man who had a massive effect on the indie music scene.

Much of this honesty is probably down to the fact that director Anton Corbijn knew the band back in the day, he was a key photographer of them then and now, with this film, he honours Curtis and pays tribute to him and his genius. A fantastic film – add to your list now.