A life lived in the rink

Professional figure skater Jayson Sutcliffe is the subject, co-writer and co-director of the documentary Rollerboy, screening as part of the Sydney Film Festival.

But far from being a subject-helmed puff piece, the film is a hard-hitting look at the career ups and downs and personal crises Sutcliffe has endured — including sexual abuse at the hands of his childhood skating coach and his older brother’s suicide.

Sutcliffe’s co-writing and directing credits came about because the film started life very differently, as a web project about the sport of rollerskating.

“As other people became involved, the focus shifted to my own story, because that was the direction the producers wanted to go in. I certainly never set out to make a movie about myself,” the Melburnian told the Star Observer ahead of the documentary’s June 15 debut.

“It went from being my little pet project to a larger scale production.”

Sutcliffe’s rocky rollerskating career mirrored the ups and downs of his non-sporting life. At 15 he was junior world champion, but as an adult competing against his hero, Scott Cohen, he faltered, still reeling from his brother’s suicide and trying to process the sexual abuse he had suffered as a child.

“I hadn’t really ever openly talked about those issues before, so sitting in front of the camera and knowing I was going to be asked about those topics was hard. Fourteen hours in front of the camera doing interviews about your life can be pretty gruelling.”

In happier times, Sutcliffe’s lycra outfits became increasingly flamboyant and his performances more innovative as he grew more comfortable with his sexuality.

“That big change occurred in my life when I went to train with my coach in South Australia, Charmaine. She says in the film that she knew there was something in me that needed to be unleashed, and she was the first person I was openly out to,” he said.

“Within those first few months of having that acceptance, everything changed for me.”

With his life story now captured on film, Sutcliffe admitted to some nerves ahead of the screening.

“It’s a bit daunting, having it seen by everyone for the first time.”

He has a contingent of supporters flying in from Melbourne and New Zealand for the first public screening, though, and he’s “debating whether or not to skate into the premiere”.

info: Rollerboy, 6.30pm, June 15 at Event Cinemas, George St. Visit www.sff.org.au