Film - Andy Irons: Kissed by God

by Isla Sligo-Young

Alongside my brothers return from university they have also brought their Amazon prime subscriptions, allowing a new realm of film exploration on this new site. Therefore, decreasing the normal activity of browsing films for forty minutes and presently giving up on watching a film, as a unanimous decision cannot be reached. This process was how we stumbled upon the documentary Andy Irons: Kissed by God, we went rogue and didn’t even bother watching the trailer and I am so glad we did.

What we were expecting from this film based on the cover frame was a common ground of mutual interest in: surfing, beautiful cinematography of the sea and maybe some sense of inadequacy from a documentary on pro surfers. However, in reality by the end of this 100-minute film, we were all sitting there weeping. Far from merely documenting the life of a pro surfer this film revisits the path that Andy Irons blazed, starting with videos and interviews of him and his brother’s upbringing in Hawaii. What begins as a documentary that makes you slightly jealous of a childhood next to the pacific ocean, quickly develops into disbelief as the eponymous character’s nature unfurls before you. The documentary portrays how this incredibly talented suffer begins to grow and struggle with bipolar disorder, that in the manic stages sees him winning three world championships. 

But, in one of the depressive stages, as his wife recalls, he sat without talking for two months. This is paired alongside the pressure of coming into the limelight at just 17, when he won his first Pipeline Pro. Not only did this push him towards the rock star lifestyle of the pro circuit, but also straight into the mouth of the media. Then hits the wave of the increase in opioid prescription in the early two thousands, which sent seismic waves of addiction and dependency through the tight nit Hawaiian scenes. Watching this turmoil unfold, creates a gut-wrenching sense of tragedy waiting to occur and when it finally hits you are blown out of the water. This documentary is also meant to be educational about both bipolar disorder and opioid addiction, so it is in dispersed with professional judgement alongside the anecdotal stories of Andy Irons. Overall, I would really push you towards watching this film, for both the emotional journey that it take you on and the insight it gives of the aforementioned disorders on such a creative, talented individual.