Happiness is an inside job.
So says Ronnie O'Sullivan at the start of this excellent documentary, as compelling an insight into genius, obsession, and mental health as you'll find in a film about a sporting icon or, indeed, any star.
More importantly, however, Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything will make many people watching feel a little less alone. That victory deserves a place among O'Sullivan's accolades.
Following O'Sullivan to the World Snooker Championship in 2022 - where he is seeking a record-equalling seventh title - and rewinding to tell his life story en route, director Sam Blair has received unprecedented access to an enigma. What's on the screen alternates between profound, distressing, exciting, and uplifting while also questioning the viewer about how much they project onto their heroes - and how real life is always more complex than the movie that plays in fans' heads.
O'Sullivan makes for a soul-baring interviewee. It is refreshing to hear from someone who hasn't been wrangled by media training and seems so indifferent as to how he comes across. As a result, you care all the more about the life of another.
As part of that life, we hear (off-camera) from his parents Ronald Sr and Maria O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan Sr was jailed for life for murder in 1992 - his son was 16 at the time - and released in 2010. Director Blair does not shy away from the crime in the film or how the case continues to traumatise the now-47-year-old O'Sullivan. There is only one segment that includes O'Sullivan Jr's partner, the actress Laila Rouass. That is a shortcoming.
Ultimately, The Edge of Everything is at its best when O'Sullivan arrives in Sheffield for the World Championship, where talent as a seemingly supernatural force and demons as an everyday reality make their presence felt. Even if you know the outcome of the tournament, you'll still be transfixed.
O'Sullivan worries about the waning of his powers and the advancing years. Reality comes to us all, but what's also apparent by the conclusion here is that time helping others through further documentaries or in an advocacy role are things he should consider in the future.
We leave O'Sullivan lying on a bed as he gets more things off his chest, emboldened as he looks to the future. Hopefully, this film helped him. Here's to peace of mind on and away from the table.
Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is on Prime Video now and in selected cinemas.
