Music video director Anton Corbijn makes his feature film debut with Control, a biopic of the late Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. The film is based on the novel Touching from a Distance, written by Curtis’ wife, Deborah. The film appropriately begins with the meeting of the two lovers and ends with the singer’s unfortunate suicide at 23.

Sam Riley does an excellent job as Ian, and Samantha Morton is brilliant as always as Deborah. The film is also blessed with a talented supporting cast led by the hilarious, scene-stealing Toby Kebbell as the band’s manager and the beautiful Alexandria Maria Lara as Annik the “journalist.”

The film is beautifully shot in black and white, a style Corbijn uses regularly in his music videos (Depeche Mode, U2 and even Joy Division). In a standout scene the audience gets one of their only chances to delve into the depressed mind of Curtis. We see him write the line “She’s Out of Control” in his notebook after getting into a fight with his wife and watch as it transforms into him singing the now famous song live in front of a small crowd (reminiscent of Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile).

Grade: B+

Control is currently in select theaters.