[Film Review] Control [*SPOILERS*]

[All Systems Go]

‘Control’ is a film about Ian Curtis, former front man of the New Wave pop group Joy Division. That this film was made would lead one to believe that he live a full, exhilarating (and probably self-destructive) life. This expectation would be further supported by the fact that he killed himself at the age of 23. Yet after seeing this film I found myself wondering why the film was made at all. You get the impression that he was a completely self-indulgent individual who treated his wife appallingly, (seeing as the film was based on the book written by his wife, it is hardly surprising).

The best parts of the film are the beginning and the end. The beginning shows him as a schoolboy listening to Ziggy Stardust and taking drugs stolen from old ladies he and a friend went to visit. This ends all too quickly and there is little to show how he gets on with his family. The end is a nicely shot (although painting-by-numbers) style where Curtis’ body is found as we listen from outside. The rest of the film is largely incomprehensible; as the start and the end of the film are the only time you know what year it is.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of Joy Division (i.e. you know when ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ was written or when they first appeared on TV) you will struggle to have any conception of what is happening. It could be argued that this provides the viewer with a sense of confusion and disorientation similar to the aura which surrounds the protagonist. At no point in the film do you really get any sense that he is manically depressed, even when he attempts to commit suicide it just feels like he is being completely self-indulgent, which is actually a reflection of the film.

It is shot in monotone (presumably to emphasise the ‘grey’ feeling of Manchester *sigh*) yet (possibly because it was filmed on digital cameras), the picture is crystal clear and every detail is picked up. It makes you wonder if it would have been better to shoot the film in colour but use old-school film with a grainy texture. The direction feels very ‘by-the-book’ and there is only one scene where he tries something unique. The hypnosis scene gives momentary flashbacks, but they leave you wondering (like the whole scene, in fact) what the point of it was.

Another serious issue was the script. It must be applauded for effort but it fails miserably to provide the emotional impact for which it so desperately strives. The long monologues simply weren’t good enough. The one scene where this attempt is most apparent is after he attempts to overdose on epilepsy medication and he is sitting backstage with the band for the first time since he was released from hospital. There is a long scene where he sits, not moving, whilst the monologue (presumably his inner dialogue) carries on before he simply explains ‘I was drunk’. You see what was aimed at but it never really hits the mark.

It fails (actually, it never attempts) to give you any real indication about how well the band did (no talk of record sales) only scenes which showed them touring Europe in what seemed to be a rather modest fashion. There is no insight into his lyrics or what motivated him to write. At one scene, completely out of the blue he is seen in the studio with a guitar around his neck with no precedent.

For a film that was over two hours long there was simply not enough that happened in his (all too short) life to justify a film (let alone such a long one) and it could easily have been a 30 minute TV special. There is no scene where he descends into madness, nor is there any indication that he was suicidal. It could be argued that a lot of suicidal people don’t seem the kind until they attempt it. I think we can dismiss the argument as there is no indication of this line of thought expressed by anyone in the film.

It can definitely be said that this is a film for hardcore fans of Ian Curtis (note, not Joy Division), and that everyone else will leave feeling rather confused and unsatisfied.

There are some positive aspects to the film. Well, one really. The acting is first rate and their performance is the only reason to see this film. The manager as comic relief is played brilliantly but is let down with a bad script and direction which makes his well-performed comedic breaks seem (almost perpetually) inappropriate to the scene.

It’s a shame the band don’t get more time and the back story which would have helped us understand the situation Curtis was in and help flesh out the story at the same time, but this is a limitation largely forced upon the film by being an adaptation of the book written by his wife, not a groupie.
Another ‘deep’ (read: by-the-book) choice is the fact that there is no music except when the band are playing or when someone has put a record on. This is not the film for that and there is no assistance in trying to work out the emotionally important scenes (if indeed, there are any).

In conclusion, this is a largely disappointing film that seems you have been made for no real reason and it is difficult to see that someone gave this production the green light having any knowledge of Ian Curtis (the pitch, presumably consisting of ‘Ian Curtis is Manchester’s answer to Kurt Cobain’).
The performances are good, but everything else it tired, predictable, pointless and falls well short of the mark, unless you are a hardcore fan (or have done some research), I would give this a miss. Although, I’m still not sure if I enjoyed it or not. A second viewing is required I think, but I’m not optimistic.