Control

Aroview: Revered music-scene photographer and video-maker Anton Corbijn makes a fitting directorial debut with this moving-image portrait of seminal British post-punksters Joy Division and their doomed frontman, Ian Curtis.

Corbijn expectedly administers complete control over the visuals, rendered in his trademark 'ethereal' black-and-white, while recreations of the band's performances and Sam Riley as Curtis evince an intensity and authenticity of the director's 'eye-witness' account. Adapted as it is from the memoirs of Curtis's widow, however, the story suffers a little from a singular perspective and thus manages only limited insight into the creative process. For the 'definitive' assessment, this is perhaps best viewed in conjunction with the eponymous documentary on the subject.

NZ International Film Festival 2007

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