Roy Hollsdotter - Live

Writer and director Saville's film, Roy Hollsdotter Live, is an atmospheric tale about Roy, a stand-up comic with a very dark side. Filmed in Melbourne, it is a successfully moody drama in which the handful of locations tell us much about where Roy is at in life.

Hollsdotter unravels as the film unfolds, going from star comic to a mean bloke up on stage, a bloke so consumed with himself he has lost his wit and insight. If he can't understand himself, how can he hope to see the world writ funny?

He's so talented that others steal his comic material. But, after his girlfriend abandons him, Roy Hollsdotter lurches into a downward spiral and, try as he might, his best mate Simmo is having a hard time arresting his decline.

This bleak, but often hilarious comedy, which was filmed in the Gershwin Room at St Kilda's Esplanade Hotel, is the inspired creation of writer-director Matthew Saville, and features real-life stand-up comedian Darren Casey in a blistering turn in the eponymous role, ably backed by John Clarke as the venue manager and Luke Elliot as Simmo.

"I was interested in the notion of performance and the strange co-dependence between performer and audience," says Saville, explaining the origins of Roy.

"But, however talented the performer, it's the audience that ultimately makes a judgement."