Reviews

I saw this film last night then I went home and read a lot of the comments here. I think some things have been missed between the glowing reviews and the bitter disappointments.

First, it is a truly beautiful film and I found the acting uniformly excellent. That has already been said plenty of times.

More interesting to me are the comments about this not being an accurate or fair portrait of Ian Curtis and those around him. I've read plenty of accounts that characterize Ian and his band-mates as relentless practical jokers -- the book Torn Apart by Mick Middles and Lindsay Reade is full of these anecdotes. But I also think it's naive to expect a film like this to be anything close to a fair and objective telling of anyone's life. This is a dramatic interpretation, not a documentary.

In addition to the multiple meanings the title has for the characters in the film, this film is itself an exercise in CONTROL: Deborah Curtis's control over her husband's legacy; the surviving band members' control over the public image of Joy Division.

No, the film does not show the laughs and good times the band had, but this is in keeping with all of Joy Division's work. Their entire output as a living band was highly stylized. Almost everything they issued was in stark black and white; their imagery was overwhelmingly bleak and funereal; and they certainly courted controversy with their name and imagery. All of which was very consciously and tightly CONTROLLED by the band and the people at Factory. They gave few interviews and preferred to let the work speak for itself.

My point is that this film simply continues that project. It is yet another highly stylized piece of work in the Joy Division canon. To paraphrase the Tony Wilson remark that has been cited elsewhere in these comments -- when you have the choice between the legend and the facts, go with the legend. Their work has always had an epic, legendary quality. This movie is absolutely in keeping with that aesthetic.

I think it's also worth noting that Corbijn was a participant in shaping the Joy Division legacy from the very start -- his photographs of the band helped shape their image and his video for "Atmosphere" set the tone for how their legacy would be preserved. CONTROL is simply another collaboration with the band and their music. An extension of that original project.

I think that ultimately this film is an excellent piece of work. Just as Joy Division produced music of astonishing beauty and resonance out of the misery of life in post-industrial England, this film turns personal pain and loss into a powerful piece of art.

I just saw this last night. Although it has some really strong points--the lead actress especially--it was ultimately disappointing. The problem is that the director didn't settle on a single genre. It could have been a solid quirky comedy like SHAUN OF THE DEAD--there are some very funny scenes. But there are also really intense scenes that don't mesh with the comedy.

If the decision had been made to make a totally serious emotional film--what do you do when your new husband turns into a flesh-eating zombie?--but the comic scenes undercut that intensity.

Or it could have been a great mindless gore film--and there's plenty of great gore here. This film has plenty of good elements, but it just doesn't hold together.

I will definitely check out whatever this director does next.

I can understand how reading the script of this film might be off-putting, but as someone who has ACTUALLY SEEN THE MOVIE I can say this is a fantastic piece of work.

This is LaBute's best work since "In the Company of Men" and he's obviously still examining the way human beings manipulate each other. I would argue that this film is not at all "mean spirited" and to dismiss any of these characters as such is to miss the point entirely.

What I found most striking is how LaBute explores the ways in which people are complicit in their own manipulation. Adam (the first man) is not a helpless deaf girl who is made sport of by a couple of assholes, but is an extremely willing participant in his makeover. His friends Jenny and Phillip are saved from their dysfunctional relationship by the manipulations of Evelyn--everyone gains something from Evelyn's appearance in their lives. The outstanding performances by all four leads lend depth and subtlety to this admittedly twisted scenario.

I also applaud LaBute's directing--his static camera, long takes, bold background colors--which focuses all the attention on the characters and the performances.

I found this an extraordinary and thought provoking film.

Go see it!