Rising Son – The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi: Directed by Cesario Montano

[rating=4.00]

If you skated in the 80’s, you chose one of two very distinct styles to follow. You were either into the technical side, pulling trick after trick like the ever-popular Tony Hawk, or you were into the artistic, style driven side, perfectly represented by Christian Hosoi.

Hosoi, ironically nicknamed “Christ,” was known for his huge aerials and signature tricks (the “Rocket Air” and the “Christ Air”), but more importantly, he was known for his groundbreaking style both on a skateboard and off it.

Narrated by Dennis Hopper, Rising Son documents the life of the legendary Hosoi, featuring interviews with seemingly every major skater of the last twenty years (including Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, and Jay Adams). The intimate look follows Hosoi’s career from young skating prodigy, through his start as a pro-skater on the then fledgling pro-circuit, and to his eventual rise to the top of the skateboard world, with a status as a certified “rock star” living a notorious life style with endless money to burn.  It’s then of course that the film traces his descent into crystal-meth addiction and his eventual arrest that led to him spending just over four years in a Hawaiian prison. But the story doesn’t end there.  Coming full circle, it was during his time in prison that Hosoi found redemption and the skater “Christ” met Jesus Christ and was reborn.

Despite Hosoi’s spiritual awakening, Rising Son is not a preachy, religious sermon. And the classic skate footage and home-made videos of backyard sessions are dynamic enough to be a colorful backdrop for those less than interested in the typical skater video.  It is quite simply the story of a man who comes from nothing to grab the world by the balls, and along the way happens to become one of the greatest artists of all time, and lose it all to the great equalizer addiction, only to find a second chance and redemption.

For more info see: http://www.visionfilms.net/hosoitrailer.html

Related Content

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter