Control, in short.

I saw Control last night at Film Streams. I thought it was somewhere between okay and pretty good. I liked Sam Riley's onstage off-beat, strange dancing, his lankiness and his clothing and the way it fit or did not fit him. The cinematography was grainy, black and white, and beautiful.

The visuals were the best part of the film, in my opinion, although Sam Riley's performance was really good. One long shot, in particular, really sticks in my memory as being wonderfully visual, revealing of character, and just overall kind of mesmerizing. The shot takes place soon after Ian has seen the Sex Pistols and joined Joy Division. It is a simple shot, from behind, of Ian walking to his work in an employment office. The camera follows his long stride. A cigarette dangles from his mouth and he has a long black trench coat on, the word "hate" revealed in bold, white letters on his back. The shot stays with him longer than it needs to, as he walks through the streets of Manchester, brick buildings lining the street.