Ian Curtis isn’t happy in Corbijn’s “Control.”

I’ve seen two biopics in the last two months, and you may not have heard of either of them. The first was “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” and the second was “Control,” Anton Corbijn’s biopic about Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. I?m starting to feel like personal ambition is a dangerous thing.

Make no mistake, there’s something interesting going on with these biopics. Outside of Hollywood mainstream, where Russell Crowe’s uplifting endings and the old civil rights struggles are still dominating, there’s still an appetite for interrogations into success, psychology, and the lives of folk heroes that we may take for granted. The cinematography in Jesse James was unbelievable, and its rendering of a lonely, desolate Wild West was inspiring. Curtis’s biopic was less beautiful, perhaps, but profoundly affecting. The Village Voice pointed out its stark portrayal of a dying Manchester (they’re probably more qualified to speak about that than I am), and I was particularly shaken by the shadow of dangerous uncertainty that hung like smoke around Ian Curtis’s personal life. In a way, it was on the opposite trajectory of “A Beautiful Mind”… where Crowe’s John Nash confronted his shortcomings and overcame them, Sam Riley’s Ian Curtis invited problems into his life, and then couldn?t avoid being crushed by them.

These are good pieces of cinema, especially if you’re interested in the cinematography and the psychological drama. However, they’re not for everybody. Both biopics were long and slow, more concerned with scenery and subtle pauses than with action or narrative thrust. They were afflicted with art film syndrome, where the ambiguity ultimately gets in the way of the mass appeal. I congratulate them on their intense treatment of their subjects, but there’s another step to be taken.

And I’m seriously hoping that “I’m Not There” will take that step. Bob Dylan’s forthcoming biopic isn’t Hollywood fluff ? there’s something surreal and dangerous about casting six different actors into a single role. The use of alternative races and genders is an additional sign that this film is going to be daring in its storytelling technique, and I’d like to hope that it’s also sensitive to the quirks and dimensions of its subject.

So “I’m Not There” may match “Jesse James” and “Control” in terms of cinematic experimentation… but in contrast to those films, it may have the playful, encouraging tone that makes it a contender for mass appeal. This is what I hope for, as a devoted member of the consumer masses. “I’m Not There” has a chance of taking the style and boldness of the recent indie biopics and making it palatable to a larger audience.

So I wait, huddled over Apple Trailers, hoping for the best.