control

"Existence. Well...what does it matter? I exist on the best terms I can. The past is now part of my future. The present is well out of hand." - "Heart and Soul" by Joy Division

After decades of acclaimed rock-and-roll photography and music videos, it's not surprising that Anton Corbijn's first feature film is about a musician. "Control" is one of the best movies I have seen this year. It chronicles the life of Ian Curtis, lead singer and lyricist of Joy Division, who suffered from epileptic seizures and who committed suicide at the young age of 23, on the eve of the band's first American tour.

It's a huge challenge to tell the story of a life (albeit a short one) in only about two hours. That said, I believe Corbijn did a great job with this movie. Curtis is portrayed as a weak person, a troubled young father, tormented both by agonizing depression and his worsening physical condition. Control, as the above lyrics of their song "Heart and Soul" express, was something, he felt was missing. Sam Riley does a wonderful job as Curtis and I also liked the movie's visual style and how it managed to capture the music of Joy Division.

But above all, I loved how it was actually able to convey a genuine feeling of involvement, of total exposure, solitude, anguish and regret, how it was able to tear me (along with the main character) between wanting and having to. All though it was in black and white, it managed to show that everything there is in life is actually neither one nor the other.

Watch the trailer:

(poster source).

Note: Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer, song-writer and actor plays a small part ;)