INTERVIEW: Director of Unbreakable, Ivan O'Mahoney

Published Jan 30, 2025, 11:38 AM

Listen live on the FIVEAA Player.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

She was a teenage sensation who led up her greatest day. She had the talent and the game to be number one. It is not sure that no one here could have predicted that her life was falling apast I.

Knew that if I lost, it would be problems. Players have noticed bruisin On providing she was intimidating.

An incredible true story.

You didn't have the strength of say anything because I was so so scared.

So that is the trailer for Unbreakable. It's the Jolena Docketts story, which showed last night on Channel nine. I spoke to people in the industry today. It rated so well married at first sight in the cricket. The only things that beat it so many people that didn't get to see it in the cinema the first time. Round saw it last night on Channel nine. If you missed it again last night, you can catch up on nine now on the digital platform. But I'm also told that it will be replayed at some stage on Channel nine. I thought it might be good, though, to speak to the director about it, because it's one of these. It's a remarkable story and we see Elena each and every summer commentating the tennis and we remember the story at the time, but it's not until you see it done so beautifully in terms of storytelling. And as horrific as the story is, to see it put together, it's equally horrifying and inspiring, all in the same way. So the director Ivan Omani joins me. Ivan, thanks so much for your time. Congratulations again on the documentary and I'm sure you've been flawed by the feedback again today.

Yeah, thank you, thank you for having me on the program. We were pretty blown away by it. I say we just because I co directed it with Jessica Hellern, who wrote the original book with Elena, And yeah, you know, there were quite a lot of people who went to see it in the cinema and I had no idea how well it was going to do on television or if it would do well, And the numbers were staggering, especially for a documentary, which, you know, despite the fact that it has a celebrity at its heart, is a film about, you know, about family violence, and you never you never know whether people will come to it, but yesterday they really did.

You know, Evan, It's one of those stories that touches everyone. You don't have to be necessarily a tennis enthusiast to enjoy it, and we know Lena is a player and a commentator now an author, but also everything else that goes with that, the mental health that goes with it, the body positivity that goes with it. This is a story that touches everyone across the country.

Yeah, and look, but that's I was thinking today about, you know, why it got such high feeling figures. You know, I think at its peak it reached one point nine million people, And I think it has to do with the fact that, you know, we live in a very we live in very divisive times. Everything is highly polarized, and I think there are very few subjects that we can all still agree on. But I would say that, you know, the need to protect kids against harm is probably one of the very few things that you know, whatever your persuasion is, you can still get on board with. And to see somebody so eloquently talk about how you know that that childhood was essentially ripped away from them and then managed to come through it and have that inspirational, inspirational message at the end of them was was terrific.

How did it come into your universe? Ivan? This story did you know of Yelena before? Were you a tennis enthusiasts who knew of the trouble she was having with her father.

Look, I certainly knew about her career and as a player. I'd seen her play in the in the late nineties, early two thousands, you know, and I've all sort of wondered what happened to her. I only moved to Australia in two thousand and eight, so my wife is Australian and I grew up in the Netherlands myself from my Irish dad Dutch mom. She was pretty well known in Europe, but I didn't, you know, I didn't quite get the whole Australian angle to that story until I moved here and until I started seeing Lena and hearing Lena commentating on the tennis. But what really spurred me to get involved with the film is that Jessica Haller that my co director, handed me a copy of the book. And when I read the book, like you know, there's it's practically a scene coming off the page, on every page of the book. It was just extraordinary because I was imagining what she was talking about cut against the archives that I hope would be available of lots and lots of these of these moments in her story, and it was so yeah, it was for me, it was a no brainer.

I wonder when and every time you hear about this story away from the tennis court, ivan that and I'll do it at the end of this chattoo, because there will be people who will be triggered by things in their own life that might relate to some of the issues that Elena went through growing up as a young girl, the issues with their father and everything she faced. I do wonder when, so you have the run in the cinema, then you get it on free to wear, it'll be now shown on. Do you think there's a triggering effect for her about it? How she must be so strong, you know, mentally and emotionally now to be able to retell this story even in your filmmaking, you know, to be able to that's very brave and vulnerable to put yourself out there.

Well, absolutely, and you know we command her for that. I think there was certainly an amount of triggering that went on while we were editing the film, and we asked you Lana to look at cuts and get her feedback on the story and how we were telling the story. I think she found that very very hard. You know, a lot of that material she herself hadn't seen in twenty years. There's also the big difference with the book, which is that the book is all written from her point of view, but the film also has interviews with people who tell us their point of view, so it's kind of like how Elena saw the world and how the world saw Lena. So it was also the first time that she heard a lot of those people recall those stories or how they witnessed events, and I think that wasn't always easy for her, But I think in the end, because it was a quite a it was quite a long and very careful process, I think it became a cathartic exercise by the end of it. And and that's you know, whenever I think you make a documentary that involves people who are vulnerable through the experiences that they have in there have had in their lives. They may be very strong now, but there's a there's an underlying vulnerability. I think that if you can make that an empowering cathartic experience, it's it's it's really what you're after.

You watch it and you almost put yourself in the place, don't you As a fan of Tennesse you think, and what did she go through? This young girl? You know, all the pressures of being an elite sports star anyway, plus all of the drama and the horrifying situation that goes on with her father too. But the other takeaway I think ivan for a lot of people, is is the failing in the system. You know, how do we fail this young girl so badly?

Yeah, well, that is one of the big that's one of the big things that that we want people to to take away from the film, which is, you know, if you if you see something like that happen in your vicinity and you have the ability to step in, try to do something, don't think it's not my business. You know that that era of just being a bystander should be in the past. You know it's not, but it really should be. And and that's difficult, but there are you know, great organizations who've got brilliant advice for this. And you know, we've got too impact partners on the project who are working with us on on you know, on helping people navigate this this difficult terrain. And so one of them is Sport Integrity in Australia which really looks at child safeguarding in a sport context, and the other one is the Australian Childhood Foundation, who really look at it more in a family setup and in you know, what can you do if you notice these things going on in families around you? And there are wonderful resources on their websites available as well, So we really don't want to leave people with just questions. We want to give them tools and answers as well.

That's amazing. It's amazing work that you've done. And it's not just for entertainment's sake either or the what's the word I'm looking for almost a voyeuristic part of it, Ivan too. It's a service that you're giving. I'm sure there's a lot of people who, as I say, will watch this and take things away from that and maybe it's a light bulb moment for them. It's even more remarkable to see how Elene has come out the other side because things could have been so much dire. Most people in that situation, Ivan wouldn't get to the riches that Jolana has professionally and personally.

Yeah, no, that's that's very true. And look for us personally as as as as filmmakers. I think it was really encouraging that, you know, Channel nine as a as a free to air commercial channel, decided to air it and to back it and really back it in. And it's very hard to get these types of programs on national television. You know, they're not you know, they're not sextual entertainment, or they're not you know, they're not quizzes or or or reality shows, and it is increasingly hard to get that stuff shown. And you know, when we have a moment like this, we we really celebrate it because we'd like to think that it sort of vindicates the you know, the effort, and when so many people come to it, you're like, you know what, you can get people to watch this. You just have to be brave about it and how you position it and how you market it. But if you do it well, you can still show this stuff to really big audiences.

You know, do you have a relationship with y Elena Now? I imagine you would when you work with.

Yeah, yeah, we've you know, I'd like to think we've become good friends over over the last couple of years, and you know, it's been she would she would agree with me that that's not always been an easy relationship because you know, we as filmmakers have our own ideas about how we want to tell stories, and and you know, kind of tend to tend to think we always know everything best. And and Lena, of course, you know, it's her story, and you know, she has her own you know, very she has her own thoughts about how she wants that told and what she wants to say and how it is presented. And I think, you know, over the few years that we've worked on it, we've really come to understand each other's positions on these things and understand each other's desires in terms of the storytelling and why certain things are done in a certain way. And you know, it's it takes time. It really is sort of a relationship that you build. And I think now that the film is finished and that it's been embraced by the audience, I think, you know, Yolena can sort of see the value in a lot of the things that we were telling her over time, and we've certainly come to appreciate a lot of the things that she told us, and you know, as a result of which we may changes in the film as well, so it was a proper partnership.

Well done well. As I say, it's an amazing piece of work, the work that you and your team and Jess from the books through to the movie making too, has been able to do. I mean that these kind of things are so important for people to see. Have you got any word from nine Ivan? Do you think they'll be showing it again anytime soon for people who might have missed it last night.

I haven't heard from them, but I know that it's still available now for a couple of weeks on nine Now, yes, for catch up viewing, and it will in the very near future be available on Stan as well. I just don't have the release days.

Okay, beautiful Ivan, thanks again congratulations on that. I know you're not looking for plaudits necessarily, but clearly touched a nerve again. I know it was sold out and huge run in the cinemas when it first was initially released, but for it to get on free, to wear through Channel nine and to see you know, social media is good for that. It's a good firestorm.

Of what people absolutely and definitely a highlight for us. So we're very grateful for everything that's been happening to the film and you know, and that includes you guys having us on the program and talking about it.

Thanks again for your time. I appreciate it. Ivan all the best, Thank you so much.

Okay, bday.

Ovin o'mani is the director. The documentary is called Unbreakable. It's the Elaina Docketch story. If you missed it last night, if you weren't able to get to the cinemas to check it out, you can do so on nine now and stand coming soon. And if any of the issues that we discussed Ivan and myself regarding Elena Dockitch and the behaviors of her father for whatever reason, is something that you need to speak to someone about, we do want to urge that you don't have to go it alone. You can always reach out for help. Lifeline is thirteen eleven fourteen, Beyond Blue is one three hundred double two four six three six. And if there are any children who may or may not be listening to the show for whatever reason, the Kids Help One is one eight hundred double five, one eight double zero, one eight hundred double five one eight double zero. So plenty of great people that you can speak to if any of those issues are triggering for you. I even know money. My guest Unbreakable. The Elana docket story