7. Control (2007)
Biopic of Ian Curtis, singer of Joy Division who hanged himself in 1980. He was married very young to Debbie but marital bliss did not last long as Ian became consumed with touring with the band and writing songs. He also began an affair with a Belgian journalist called Annik. This causes considerable anguish for both Debbie (who is heart broken) and Ian (who cannot stop seeing Annik). Ian also has epilepsy and he lives in fear of seizures. He tries to kill himself with Phenobarbital but is revived. On the eve of an American tour, Ian suffers a seizure and then writes a suicide note and hangs himself. Filmed in gritty black and white, Control is one man's journey into the heart of darkness - driven there by a heady cocktail of epilepsy, infidelity, depression, paranoia and inescapable suicidal tendencies. Curtis cannot make it big in America because his personal problems drive him to totally destroy himself. This self abnegation is deftly rendered in the film. Curtis is not a one dimensional character. We see not just the different pressures in his life but also the fantastic genius of his music and the fact that he left behind a young child. It is a deeply tragic film of a great talent lost in the mire of self destruction.