A new documentary about All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu has lifted the lid on the remarkable life of rugby’s first true global superstar.
Directed by Vea Mafile’o and Gavin Fitzgerald, LOMU tells the story of the New Zealand icon through archive footage, previously unseen family videos and interviews with those who knew him best.
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The Melbourne International Film Festival describes it as a “nuanced portrait” of the Kiwi-Tongan superstar, while a new Film Ireland review praised the film for finding the man behind the rugby myth.
Lomu became the youngest-ever All Black when he made his Test debut aged just 19 before exploding onto the global stage at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
But behind the tries, fame and terrifying physical presence was a far more complicated story.
Here are 10 things we learned from the new documentary.
1. He grew up believing his aunt and uncle were his parents
Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations concerns Lomu’s childhood.
Lomu was raised by his mother’s eldest sister and her family and initially believed they were his parents.
As revealed in an interview with co-director Gavin Fitzgerald, when Lomu eventually went to live with his biological parents as an older child, he viewed them as “strangers”.
The documentary explores how those early experiences helped shape his complicated relationship with family and identity.
2. He endured an incredibly tough childhood
Lomu’s upbringing was a world away from the glamorous life he would later experience as rugby’s biggest star.
The film explores his relationship with a strict and violent father, as well as growing up in a tough South Auckland neighbourhood.
Friends remember a very different person to the destructive player seen on television every weekend.
Despite his enormous frame and intimidating presence, Lomu was regarded as a gentle giant away from rugby.
3. Coaches wondered whether he was lazy
It’s difficult to imagine anyone questioning Lomu’s athleticism now, but his coaches were once puzzled by his struggles with endurance.
Lomu possessed extraordinary speed and power but found longer-distance running significantly more difficult.
According to The42’s extensive interview about the documentary, coaches even questioned whether their young superstar might simply be lazy.
There was another explanation.
Lomu was already being affected by the kidney disease that would eventually transform his career and life.
4. He went to extraordinary lengths to hide his illness
Lomu was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, but initially kept his condition intensely private.
One remarkable detail revealed in the documentary is that Lomu asked the All Blacks team doctor to collect his medication.
Why?
He reportedly didn’t want his increasingly famous name appearing on prescription labels and potentially exposing his condition.
The New Zealand Film Commission’s official synopsis describes Lomu’s kidney disease as one of the major personal battles explored by the filmmakers.
5. He believed he could beat the disease
The same extraordinary self-belief that helped make Lomu unstoppable on a rugby field also influenced how he approached his illness.
Fitzgerald admitted that, like many watching from the outside, he initially believed the kidney problem would simply become another obstacle Lomu would overcome.
The reality was very different.
Lomu continued playing despite the severity of his condition and eventually required dialysis before undergoing a kidney transplant in 2004.
A new Times feature on Lomu and the documentary explores just how much his illness restricted him during his career.
6. His private life was far more complicated than fans realised
While millions knew Lomu the rugby player, considerably fewer understood the difficulties he faced away from the pitch.
The documentary explores relationships, divorces and family tensions alongside his sporting achievements.
It is deliberately not simply a highlights package celebrating one of rugby’s greatest players.
Instead, the filmmakers attempt to explain the complicated person behind the public image.
7. Rugby’s most intimidating player was actually incredibly shy
There was an enormous contrast between Lomu the player and Lomu the person.
On the pitch he was arguably the most frightening attacking player rugby had ever seen.
Away from it, he could be quiet, humble and intensely private.
Film Ireland’s review of LOMU describes the documentary’s subject as a shy man who suddenly found himself transformed into a global sporting commodity.
And it happened incredibly quickly.
8. Fame arrived just as rugby changed forever
The timing of Lomu’s emergence could hardly have been more significant.
His breathtaking performances at the 1995 World Cup turned the 20-year-old into an international superstar just as rugby union was moving into professionalism.
Suddenly there were huge commercial opportunities and enormous expectations surrounding him.
One review of the documentary highlights how Lomu’s rise coincided with both the increasing prominence of Pasifika identity in New Zealand and the explosion of celebrity culture around professional rugby.
9. His finances became another source of difficulty
The documentary doesn’t shy away from the more uncomfortable chapters of Lomu’s life.
Alongside his health and relationship problems came financial pressures.
His divorces, medical issues and personal circumstances are explored as the film examines the enormous strain placed on a man who had once been one of rugby’s most marketable athletes.
The Film Ireland review specifically highlights fame, divorces, financial strain and loneliness among the themes tackled by the documentary.
10. His identity was more complicated than simply being an All Black
Perhaps the biggest theme running through LOMU is identity.
He was simultaneously Tongan, Kiwi, a kid from South Auckland, an All Black and eventually an international celebrity.
Fitzgerald describes Lomu’s identity as becoming “fragmented” as he attempted to navigate those different worlds.
His Tongan heritage is consequently central to the documentary rather than simply background to his rugby career.
The film’s official MIFF profile describes Lomu’s legacy as remaining a “beacon for Pasifika pride”.
