Lady O'Loughlin

Directed by Sam Petersen

A documentary about a recovering alcoholic and addict – especially one whose story we're already broadly familiar with – doesn't sound like a great night's entertainment. But this compact and moving film made by Fiona O'Loughlin's mate, Sam Petersen, is not just thoughtful, it's also often very funny. Petersen follows O'Loughlin from the time she leaves rehab in 2016 (she spent seven days in a coma following an epic binge) to her return to the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2018 – including a relapse that put her back in hospital again. As you might expect, many gags are cracked. Truths are told. But this is also an exploration of the way the live-comedy scene is a natural home to excess, and the dangers of the misguided but entrenched association between creativity, and drugs and alcohol. Source: The Age newspaper (https://www.theage.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/twisting-british-thriller-is-the-stuff-of-any-parent-s-nightmares-and-it-s-really-really-good-20200504-p54po9.html)