[my] (harsh) truth about CONTROL

So I finally got to see Control, the movie about Joy Division, and more specifically, Ian Curtis. For months I've been waiting for it to premiere, and to watch one of the most mysteryously dramatic stories about someone as odd as life itself. I can't say I'm disappointed, but unfortunately I can't say I'm satisfied either. I'll explain.

At the very first minute, you know you're going to get the silent treatment through the whole film. When you think about it, it makes some sense. Ian was a writer and a singer, but definitely not a speaker. You allow yourself to be embraced with a monochromatic silence, and a lack of long straight sequences that won't ever let you dissect whatever the hell was going on there. And yet, there is plenty of time for you to absorb the heat, or the cold, of that specific moment.

And there you have it. Ian Curtis is played by Sam Riley, a young man who's not a perfect match for Ian's looks, and definitely not a target hit on Ian's voice, but... he's the perfect middle term. The movie includes both music played by the original band members, and from the actors themselves, including the lead singing of Sam Riley. His effort is remarkable, but often failing miserably [his interpretation of Isolation is bloody terrible].

The story is straight forwarding. Perhaps too much. The sequences are short, silent, and they're simply too many. If Anton Corbjin's intention was to create frustration out of the lack of communication, he got way more than that. Which is good at some point, but then it just really gets you on your nerves. One hundred and twenty minutes of silence treatment can be harsh, so sometimes you're bombed with what seems to be some kind of an introspective diary, as if Curtis himself had the need to express and explain to you directly what he was going through. And honestly, it's akward. You can (could) get so much out of the facts themselves, that having someone explaining to you makes the whole plot fit together and following the same straight line.

And that, is bad.

Those who have seen 24 Hour Party People will find in Control a whole different approach. I was afraid Anton would make Ian's story into some kind of beautiful fairytale, something people could remember and tell others in a predefined order of events and emotions. And I wasn't completely wrong... the movie can be cruel, but it's not even as raw as those twenty minutes of Joy Division we get to lick in 24 Hour PP. Sean Harris may actually have been a better Ian than Riley, because he didn't call for the use of words. Riley is a closed book obviously, but only with heavy weights on top. Control represents darkness with a cherry on top.

But the main reason of my disappointment is because there could be so much more here. The characters are exactly what you would expect them to be, and you can't exactly love one of them. They don't give that much mystery, maybe except for Annik, which is gorgeous, a stunning woman who had a minor grade of importancy on the general plot... again, there could easily be so much more. It's like each character had their own string pulling them towards the very same end, and just when you think the string is about to break, it doesn't.

At some point, Ian Curtis [Sam] tells Annik that "some things about Joy Division are not meant to be beautiful". This is exactly what Anton should have paid more attention to, because in the end, it's all just a somewhat comprehensive story which doesn't really leave you wondering around thinking "what the hell happened after all?". You're pushed, they give you a puzzle of a thousand pieces and for two hours, they mount the first 950 pieces for you. The beautiful thing about Ian and the late 70's/early 80's Joy Division story is the fact that you simply cannot understand it. It's a back and forth of events, and fortunately this roleplay is pretty well expressed throughout the whole movie.

But the moments do sink in, eventually, and wether they're forced or not, the truth is they hit you. You miss the caption as a whole, but you know it's there. Still, I would rather have a shorter approach 24HPP style, because in this particular case, distancy only means you're getting closer. And if you don't get it, even better.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but the rush just is not one of my side-effects right now. Not even with the unfair "Atmosphere" being played just when Deborah finds Ian hanging, which would hit me like a damn frisbee if it wasn't so unfortunately predictable. But the [lack of] words is there, and they're burnt on wood. Timeless, eternal, just like they were then. But only now the world actually gets them. Unfortunately, the film also misses this final consideration.

Among a whole lot of things which made Joy Division so freakin' good.