Rating this documentary is a little difficult. On one hand, it unfortunately offers absolutely nothing new or inventive in terms of filmmaking. Unlike the other Australian sports documentary I saw in 2024, A Horse Named Winx, you'll be hard-pressed to find any visual flair, and it generally recounts the story at its core in what feels like the most standard manner possible.
On the other hand, the story it focuses on deeply compelling - for terribly wrong reasons. A harrowing tale of how hard it is to break out of an abusive family and to avoid making obviously wrong decisions with so much pain on the other side of the ledger. It is also the tale of the aftershocks left behind - and of the willingness of so many to turn a blind eye as long as they can benefit.
Arguably the most shocking scene is not of any physical abuse - but a completely real Kia ad where they chose to glorify the violent outburst of Jelena's father Damir at a foreign restaurant, recasting it as a righteous anger of an everyman who knows when he is ripped off - and when he is offered best value. This episode also highlights just how good things got for Damir at the time - and how he was unable to quit while ahead, presumably thinking that if he was able to abuse his daughter into becoming the global #4, nothing would stop her from getting to #1.
Thus, the same behaviour which drove his family so far (at a horrific expense) also made him dissatisfied with what would have been beyond his wildest dreams only a few short years earlier, and ultimately got him to torch everything. In that sense, he is a disturbing parallel to too many other people you can probably think of on your own, and you may well be left with disturbing questions no film like this could answer.
