When I was a teenager, I had four favorite rock groups. Depeche Mode, The Smiths, The Cure, and New Order. Yes, lots of angst all around. Last night, I watched Anton Corbijn’s directorial debut about the group that existed before New Order came to be. The group was called Joy Division. The movie was called Control.
It was a compelling movie all done in black and white. Strange how I could connect with an alienated youth living in Manchester at the end of the seventies. But alienation and isolation and teenage angst can be the genesis of great art. In this case, it was short-lived. The legend of Ian Curtis’ tragic and short life live on in this movie and in the haunting music he left behind.