CONTROL

Control is almost too careful to portray Joy Division's Ian Curtis as a regular guy rather than as an artist.

The life, and more vividly, the death of post-punk band Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980 is one that has thrived in rock n' roll lore. I remember hearing rumors about his suicide. Did he really stand on a block of ice, waiting for it to melt under his feet in order to do the deed? This arty black-and-white biopic based mainly on his widow Debbie's memoirs focus more on the man, and less on the myth. In fact, the movie avoids the glitz and glamour (and unfortunately, the artistry) of the rock star life so much that it comes across more as a rather typical story of one young man's growth from a teen dancing to the mirror in his bedroom to David Bowie, to a depressed and distressed adult grappling with a failing marriage and increasing health problems (oh, and the rock star thing).

Control starts in the mid-70s, when young Ian (Sam Riley) romances his best friend's girl Debbie (Samantha Morton, who impressively in her 30s can play a teen). The kids get married young, get their own flat, and Ian gets a job at an employment agency. But in the meantime, the music scene is brewing, and Ian, along with a slew of later-famous folks (see 24 Hour Party People for a timeline of the Manchester scene), catches an extremely influential show by The Sex Pistols. Ian joins the a band, like everyone else, and Warsaw (later Joy Division) is born.

Now I'm a huge fan of New Order, and have a "best of" CD of Joy Division, so it was fun to see depiction of the early days of the band (the surviving members went on to form New Order after Ian's death). Though bandmates Peter Hook (Joe Anderson), Bernard Sumner (James Anthony Pearson), and Stephen Morris (Harry Treadaway) have relatively small roles in the big scheme of the movie, they do effectively come across as a real band with all the camaraderie and bickering (in the extras, we find out that they all played their own instruments in the film, and Riley actually sang). This is where Control works best, when concert scenes are re-created, especially the band's television appearance on the influential Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson's show.

As the film goes on, in a very linear fashion, Ian actually seems to be pretty happy in his life. The drama is very slow to develop (knowing the length of the film, I expected at least a hint of things to come by the halfway mark). When they have a child, Ian and Debbie start to have troubles, and Ian begins an affair with a glamorous Belgian journalist named Annik. Also as the bands notoriety rises, Ian develops health problems, being diagnosed with epilepsy (and is given a mishmash of drugs, to no effect). It seems all of the above become too much for him to deal with, but in the film, it almost seems that his suicide was as much a result of a depressive night of drinking as everything else (including fighting with Debbie about splitting). Then it's over. I'm trying not to sound crass at all, but Control is almost too careful to portray Ian Curtis as a regular guy rather than as an artist (which is really all we should have the right to know about), that it comes across as rather by-the-numbers. Barely any mention is made of his lyrics or his influences or his inspiration.

Unsurprisingly though, the film made me want to listen to some Joy Division after picking through the extras (including the amazing original television performance from Wilson's show). Since then, I've become obsessed with their music, especially the few amazing recordings of their live shows. It was through his music that Ian Curtis became known and beloved, and I think I'll just stick to enjoying that aspect of his life for now. His sad personal life can rest in peace.