Control (2007) Weinstein Company
2 hrs. 1 min.
Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Toby Kebbell, Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson, Craig Parkinson, Harry Treadaway, Andrew Sheridan, Richard Bremner, Nicola Harrison
Directed by: Anton Corbijn
This film is rated: R

Rating: *** ½ stars (out of 4 stars)

Photographer-turned-director Anton Corbijn's exquisite black-and-white bio-pop music narrative Control is a thought-provoking and intimate look at a tragic footnote in entertainment. The sordid story is a familiar one but nevertheless still startling concerning the trials and tribulations of a young falling star not being able to cope with his sudden fame and fortune. The centerpiece of Corbijn's cinematic study of loss and alienation is Ian Curtis, the late singer of the British punk band Joy Division. The questionable suicide of Curtis makes for an intriguing and involving examination of how particular talents aspire to be recognized courtesy of their chosen craft only to be disillusioned by the result of their achievement. Control is a moody yet strangely melodic concoction about creativity and confusion in an overwhelming abyss of artistic isolation.

The irony and contradiction behind the film's title is very appropriate and clever since the inner conflict of Corbijn's beleaguered protagonist wallows in the self-destruction of wild excesses ranging from pop cultural adulation to the financial freedom of recklessness. Corbijn's revealing exposition should hit close to home given his insider connection to Curtis and his bandmates as he was instrumental in capturing the musicians through photos and revolving memories. Clearly, Control must be seen as a cinematic inquiry for fans needing to flex their fascination and frustrations about a departed musical icon that foolishly surrendered his life to complexities foreign to him as well as his avid followers.

Corbijn dares to explore the morbid mysteries and lingering uncertainties of a complicated individual. Beautifully shot in the shadows of a crisp black-and-white lens that accentuates the doom and despair of Curtis's erratic existence, Control delves into an emotional cave trying to bring light to a head-scratching and harrowing incident that claimed the last breath of a blossoming artist and his revolutionary music. Everything is chronicled from Curtis's gradual Macclesfield-bound slow burn to the chaotic cultivation of his public presence with Joy Division.

Newcomer Sam Riley is riveting as the late vocalist Curtis whose tortured soul is an embodiment of a plagued person searching for tranquility that never materialized in his lyrical art. We're exposed to Curtis in bits and pieces of his methodical livelihood from a disabling childhood condition (epilepsy) to his growing appreciation for poetry and music. We witness Curtis's ill-advised option for marriage at a young age to wife Debbie (Samantha Morton)--a woman he has "stolen" from his best friend. The union is soon compromised when Curtis falls for Belgian groupie/journalist wannabe Annik (Alexandra Maria Lara). There's an exciting rush when the youthful Ian decides to try out for the local pub band's plea for a singer. Soon Bernard, Peter and Stephen (James Anthony Pearson, Joe Anderson and Harry Treadaway) would welcome Ian in what would become the ensemble of Joy Division. Little by little, the brooding Ian Curtis falls deeper and deeper into a funk so inescapable that we're tipped off about the downward spiral that's hovering right around the corner.

The film skillfully employs a slew of aforementioned photos and music videos that enhance the atmospheric reminiscences of Joy Division's pained mouthpiece. Fittingly, the soundtrack is drenched with Joy Division's distinctive sounds. More important Riley is forcefully effective as the deceased Curtis as he dynamically channels the onstage/offstage mannerisms of a man on the brink of a soulless breakdown. Eerily, Riley's performance is spot-on as he invades the persona of the late singer with probing pathos.

The supporting players are very absorbing as well. Both Morton ("In America") and Lara are stimulating as the ladies in Curtis's topsy-turvy life. As the manager for Joy Division, Toby Kebbell is riotous as Rob Gretton--an animated wonder that made sure his clients were household names about town. The group's ardent fan Tony Wilson (Craig Parkinson) is also an infectious character as he sings the praises for his revered musical mentors. As Curtis's showbiz cohorts, Anderson, Pearson and Treadaway are captivating in their significant roles.

The turmoil behind Control is something that's touching and profoundly shocking at the same time. Poetic and hauntingly surrealistic, Corbijn's caustic commentary about a musical maverick and the misguided demons that overtook his sensibilities should serve as a liberating and learning experience for those that are blessed by a gifted calling but cursed by its unpredictable dark side.

Frank Ochieng
@ World Voice News (2007)