Control

Idk about yall but I’ve always been so intrigued about biopics, at least depending on who it was about. But there’s something just so interesting about stepping into the turmoils and adversities of a public figure’s life that has so many more outside stress factors than the average person. And this one just depicted that stress of fame with the most amazing execution possible. It tells the heartbreaking story of everything in between that led to eventual destruction and demise of the lead singer of the Rock band Joy division, Ian Curtis. Somehow with tackling so many ideas, themes and ranges of emotions that led to the point of him taking his own life, it still handles this story so well to make a cohesive and effectively devastating film. All of these factors that led to Jamie’s death hold an equal amount of weight and they show that loud and clear with this movie. Even if some main points may not often be hit as hard on in the dialogue, you can still feel the affect it has on Ian as the storyline progresses Like for one with the constant nights of performances from the band it shows the demanding nature of this type of stardom and just how much it can burn you out, especially with Ian who has an even harder time performing and meeting the expectations of fast paced music flow with having epilepsy. The aspect of romance to heartbreak between Ian and Debbie is also shown well with not only the screenplay in the scenes between the two but also again, just how they show how this storyline progresses. Throughout the storyline you can feel certain emotions with them like Ian feeling guilt of infidelity but also the regret of rushing life with Debbie. Another thing that also makes this premise so affective is the acting perfomances, specifically from Sam Riley and Samantha Morton who deliver absolutely gut wrenching performances and do their characters all the more justice. Like going back to YouTube and comparing how Sam and Ian look, Sam Riley truly gets this guy’s mannerisms and movements down to a tee, which for this film is no easy feat considering Ian Curtis’ buzzare movement on stage and his epilepsy that triggeres siezures The music also plays a very important role in the narrative as well. In a way it tells this saying everyone always says of “music is therapy.” by far one of the only ways Ian Curtis expressed his feelings was through the songs he wrote for the band. He expressed and poured his thoughts out during his time of depression through his lyrics but the thing is, that all still leaves Ian distant from communicating how he felt to people. Nobody noticed that Ian’s lyrics were a call for help. They always went over people’s heads since they were just focused on the hard banging rock sounds of electric guitar riffs and the overpowering drums. So if you think about it, in a way rock music further propelled Ian’s downfall which just makes this film all the more tragic This film was just perfect in so many ways, even in the title which is what I want to talk about last. The title of control is just so perfect and encapsulates the sole feeling Ian goes through during his spiral. He feels like he has no control over his life direction. He can’t control his energy levels since he constantly has to perform these fast rock songs and he can’t control his epilepsy which ultimately makes his fatigue and sorrow worse. He also can’t control his loneliness. He’s done irreversible damage by making the mistake of breaking Debbie’s heart and now he’s suffering all alone. Which all leads to why he and so many others give up on life, because they feel like they have no control over it, which makes them believe the rest of life will be an infinite downward spiral into hopelessness and depression. This film is just unfathomably mind blowing in its ways it depicts the gut wrenching feelings that come with mental illness and depression in the context of fame and so much more, hints to why it’s now one of my favorite movies and by far my favorite biopic Favorite Films