Shot in evocative monochrome, Control is a biopic covering the short-lived but brilliant career of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the legendary Manchester 'new wave' band Joy Division. Opening with him as a gangly schoolboy and would-be poet and lyric writer, it follows his tragically brief life, including the night he attends a Sex Pistols concert, the way he talked himself into the frontman's job with the band that would become Joy Division, and on to his tragic suicide in 1980. Part punk, part romantic, Curtis (Sam Riley) married his teenage sweetheart, Deborah (Samantha Morton), at the age of 19 and the film centres around this relationship, tested by touring, his growing fame, his untreated epilepsy and a passionate, adulterous love affair.
Running Time: 121 mins | Language: English dialogue
Director: Anton Cobjin | Country: United Kingdom | DIFF Section: The Cinema of the World |