Formed in 1976 and disbanded four years later after the suicide of 23-year-old frontman Ian Curtis, Manchester post-punk band Joy Division’s story is not a long one, which makes it the perfect subject for this fine and understated documentary by Grant Gee (Radiohead’s Meeting People Is Easy). As with Anton Corbijn’s feature biopic of Curtis, Control – to which this film makes a fine companion piece – one of its greatest strengths is finiteness, which allows for a depth of exploration. Further, by passing on any 'celebrity" talking heads and focusing on friends and band mates (Curtis’ widow Deborah, who wrote the book on which Control is based, unfortunately doesn’t appear, though his famously recalcitrant girlfriend Annik Honore does), Gee finds his way into the everydayness of the band, which he is able to finally build to a satisfying crescendo of conclusions regarding its importance.
Gee focuses on the minutia of Joy Division for much of the picture: the graphic design of tIrinhe album covers, contemporary photographs, and the band’s interpersonal relationships. In this way, he incorporates the audience into the story so that he can finally eulogise the band with the utmost credibility. Gee closes the film with a look at the growth of Joy Division’s spawn New Order, and an examination of the grief and guilt still felt by those close to Curtis, lending the film a melancholy, angry feel that resonates powerfully with the group’s music.
By focusing on the minutiae of band life and iconography, the film manages to retain its credibility and eulogise Joy Division without pretension or sentimentality.
Filmink 4/5
