Control (2007)

I'm not a Joy Division fan, but I was still pretty mesmerized by this film -- shot in appropriately moody black & white -- chronicling the creation and rise and sad end of the band.

The picture focuses on lead singer Ian Curtis, who's played appealingly by Sam Riley. He's all sullenness and intensity, I mean very rock and roll. His quick jump into marriage, development of epileptic seizures, and the birth of a child seem to all conspire to push Curtis deeper into himself. The movie did a fantastic job of getting me on his side (though I can't help but wonder if the intent was to make me sympathize with his wife, whose book served as source material), I could feel the desperation and confusion and had no trouble understanding why suicide might seem an inevitable destination.

B