Sam Riley doesn't just play Curtis; he inhabits his stillness. Much of the film’s power comes from what isn't said. We see Ian watching a train go by, or staring at a cigarette ember, and we feel the crushing weight of his introspection.
The title is the film’s cruelest irony. Ian Curtis was a man losing control of everything:
The Weight of the Frame: Why ‘Control’ is More Than a Biopic