



For the first time, we have a movie that fully pulls back the curtain on the life and death of Andy Irons. Filmmakers at Teton Gravity Research have been given full access to the Irons family and, over the course of an hour and a half, Andy Irons: Kissed by God unveils that untold story, through the eyes of those closest to him – with narrative mostly driven by Andy's younger brother, Bruce.

This film isn't a device to place Andy upon a pedestal. It is raw and emotionally-charged, candidly driving through the intense ups and downs of Andy's life. It is honest, and refuses to shy away from AI's struggles with substance abuse, “if it wasn't weed then drinking, and if it wasn't drinking then coke, a lot of coke, and then the pills come, and that's a hard one to kick, and that's the one that grabbed a hold of my brother”, relays a sombre Bruce. But ultimately, you'll leave the screening with a better understanding of Andy's inner machinations, and there's a strong sense of hope underpinning the entire film.

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Andy Irons was found dead on November 2 2010 in a hotel room in Dallas. He was on his way home from Hawaii after withdrawing from an event. News of his sudden death rumbled the entire surfing community; the people's champ, three time world champ, much loved power surfer, had died returning to his family. By now, you know the story; dengue fever was cited as the original cause of death and later coroner reports found Andy's death was caused by a heart attack and 'acute mixed drug ingestion.'

Andy Irons: Kissed by God is a timeline of events through Andy's 32-years. His rise to prominence, the blue collar boy who made it to the big time, captivating hearts and injecting charisma into the personality-ailed tour.

As a film, it is a unique craft of strong story-telling – relaying, for the first time, an honest account of Andy's life and that is no easy task. But that experienced team at Teton Gravity Research, pump heart and soul into the nuances of AI by offering first-hand insights into his life. It is the candidacy of those around Andy that drive the story here. From friends and family to the wider North Shore community and even doctors, it's a broad introspection – each offering a stark glance into their own relationship with Andy.

© 2020 - Grant Ellis.

It's perhaps this use of tone that excels. There's so much gratitude for Andy, so much love from the North Shore community, from the global surfing community. There is that element of celebrating all things AI; The highlights of Andy's career, the wins, the world titles, the rivalry with Kelly Slater. But after speaking with directors Steve and Todd Jones, they've made clear that they wanted to tell the full story; what was going on behind those wins, in and out of the contest jersey.

“The access was full on,” Steve told me yesterday. “Nobody held anything back. Bruce and Lyndie were telling everyone to let it all fly out. No restraints. We have Andy’s last voicemail to Lyndie from Dallas in the film. It’s heavy.” But it was also simple in some regards, that Andy was volatile and inspiring all in one

I explain to Steve that for me, the movie was emotional, heart-wrenching and yet is inspiring and uplifting. I ask how difficult that was to convey. “You pretty much just summed up Andy in that sentence,” he says. “Yes it was challenging to a degree. But it was also simple in some regards, that Andy was volatile and inspiring all in one. He had something special about him that touched a huge amount of people in a meaningful way Andy was ganrly, ferocious, driven, and sincere all at once.”

© 2020 - Grant Ellis.

It is the inspiration of AI and his legacy that's so tangible throughout the course of the docu, and underpins the rest of the events that transpire; and you feel the anguish from every setback in Andy's sobriety.

But there's so much more under the microscope here; a stark examination of Andy's bipolar disorder, for starters, is something we've not seen touched on before and spoken about so openly.

“People were very relieved to finally open up and get to share their stories,” Steve says. “Everyone started calling the interviews “the therapy chair”. Pretty much every interview ended in tears and hugs for the whole set.”

This isn't an hour and a half about pitching and casting blame, nor does it go out of its way to hold professional, competitive surfing in an evangelical light, except for explaining that freesurfing was Andy's catharsis.

© 2020 - Brian Bielmann.

Spoiler: As mentioned, this docu does take a peep at dengue fever being released as the original cause of Andy's death, but there's no explanation as to why this was. The film immediately shows the coroner's report which recorded death due to a heart attack and 'acute mixed drug ingestion'.

I pressed Steve on this and he said: “There was so much rich and interesting material for this film that we needed to include, and the dengue thing had already been sorted itself out and been made public that it wasn’t true.”

Verdict

This is the closest we've ever been to Andy Irons. It's a story told through the loving eyes of those closest to AI but also, from those who are unafraid to lay out exactly the demons that plagued him. Bruce pulls no punches but underpins the whole movie with an air of celebration for Andy’s life. Lyndie also relays a cathartic openness during her interviews.

It is raw and powerful yet acts as an emotional tribute and celebration of one of surfing's brightest sons. It it a form of therapy for all involved, family, friends and audience alike. “If people can take one thing away from this movie”, says Steve, “hopefully they can learn about the dangers of opioid use and also be inspired to live life to its fullest and appreciate every day.”

SCORE: 4.5/5

The world premiere will take place in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 2. The Los Angeles premiere will be followed by special premiere screenings and events in Hawaii on May 6 and New York on May 10. For more information about the film and ticketing, go HERE.

Cover pic by Steve Sherman