With this week’s “director in focus” being Anton Corbijn, as well as watching a series of music videos that he had created, we also were fortunate enough to have a class screening of his 2007 film, Control.

I had never seen the film, but was excited to be able to see some of Corbijn’s more recent work. I found the film to be beautifully shot and a very powerful portrayal of the life of Ian Curtis, who I learnt to be the lead singer of the 1970’s band Joy Division. Before watching this film I was unaware of Joy Division and the story of Ian Curtis, but despite having no prior knowledge, Corbijn’s film successfully engrossed me in the world of music at that time. Through Ian’s monologues I was able to gain insight into this character and Corbijn created a voice that expressed the pain and struggle that we imagine Ian would have experienced dealing with both epilepsy and mental health issues.

Despite not being a music video, this film still expresses the stories behind songs. Instead of providing small snippets of insight, however, it captures the bigger meaning surrounding the development of a group of artists.