Assayas’ feel for this era and his fondness for the music activates every deliberate frame. The steely, blue-tinged photography makes the whole thing feel metallic and cold yet the performances, notably that of the actresses, gives it a pulse. Quite a terrific debut from Assayas which favours character over plot, which is even more admirable given that the film opens with a failed robbery-cum-murder. The best Joy Division movie ever made.

Watched on Arrow Academy blu-ray