Huge, huge mahalos to Lyndie Irons for inviting me to a private screening for the “Andy Irons: Kissed By God” documentary last week.
After talking with her and co-director Steve Jones of Teton Gravity Research, I really looked forward to seeing this when it was available to the public.
After an interview with Lyndie talking about the upcoming film, she was kind enough to ask if I’d like to come to the private screening.
At first, like an idiot, I was reluctant to accept because something like this should only be for family and friends, I thought.
But ultimately, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. I was truly honored to attend.
I was also lucky enough to meet Lyndie Irons and Jones at the screening. Though our encounters were brief, I’m glad to have met both of you in person.
And, you both should be proud of this film.
During our interviews, both have said their intentions were to unveil the truth of Andy Irons’ life.
The film not only highlights his rise to becoming a three-time world champion surfer, but it also delves into his internal struggles with bipolar disorder and opioid addictions leading up to his untimely death in 2010 at the age of 32.
It goes into how both have shaped his surfing career, his personal life and ultimately the legacy he left behind for better or worse.
Jones said the documentary would not pull punches in revealing some of Andy’s darkest times. As I watched, I felt every punch.
As the film went on, and layers on layers were being peeled off about an extremely complex individual with God-given talent (excuse the pun) yet faced insurmountable suffering, I sank even further into the narratives.
In each interview in the film — including Lyndie Irons, brother Bruce Irons and other family members and friends, and surfers including Kelly Slater — you can feel the depth of both joy and pain as they talked candidly about Andy.
In the shining moments of victories both in and out of the water, and in the times of bitter anguish, I could not help but internally cheer for this “People’s Champion” as those interviewed in the film called him.
Also, Lyndie Irons said she hoped the film would also serve to remove the stigmas surrounding mental disorders and drug addictions.
I knew the film would go into the subjects, but I didn’t expect just how deep it would dive. As it turned out, pretty deep. Watching it was both uncomfortable yet enlightening.
I wanted to talk about everything even further as I left the theater. So I guess in that sense, if one of the goals of the movie creators was to start discussions: mission accomplished.
As someone who isn’t terribly familiar with the surfing world, I tried to watch the film with an open mind.
I watched as if I was watching an ESPN 30 for 30 film or some other documentary centered around an interesting figure — watch the whole thing without passing judgement, and then determined how I felt about it. (By the way, I highly recommend watching the 30 for 30 doc on surfer Eddie Aikau if any of you have not watched that.)
After watching all Andy’s ups and downs — and the downs felt as deep as Waimea Canyon — and after walking away with a little bit of a better understanding of one Kauai’s most beloved figures, I want to see it again. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.
I wouldn’t take kids to see it though because the film has some language on top of the subject matters, but take that with a grain of salt.
I checked the Teton Gravity Research site for tickets for the May 31 one-night release. As far as I saw on Thursday, tickets for showings on Kauai aren’t yet available.
Perhaps showings will be scheduled on Kauai afterward, when the film tours start in June. I don’t know.
But if and when the documentary is shown here again, I plan to be in line.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
