If you’ve been in the skateboarding scene for awhile you know who Christian Hosoi is. The 80’s produced such skaters as Natas Kaupas, the Gonz, Ed Templeton, Chad Muska, and even the famous Tony Hawk, but more importantly it brought us Christian Hosoi. Now QD3 Entertainment and Image Entertainment bring us, Rising Son, a documentary about the rise and fall of the 80’s legend. Starting literally from his birth, and ending with… well a lot of stuff happens in his life; let’s just say there is no end. You’ll have to watch and see what I mean.
As far as films go, it’s a good film, but it’s really like a documentary. But you don’t really realize it, because Christian Hosoi’s life is so filled with adventure, you almost forget that it’s actually a true story, all these things actually happened to this guy. His rise to skate stardom wasn’t overnight - he worked as hard as any pro and even harder still. There are tons and tons of clips of some of the best skating done during the era from all the greats like Tony Hawk, and even the man himself Christian Hosoi; well actually most of the skating is done by just these two. I do have to mention a small clip of Natas Kaupas doing a revolutionary Ollie at the time. Christian and Tony were two revolutionary skaters that just happened to end up side by side in the timeline of skateboarding, and it’s interesting to look at the different paths that they both ended up taking. There were good choices by some, and “eh?” choices by the other.
As with all great things, there is a struggle. And there is no struggle harder to overcome than the struggle with drugs. There are just so many things that can go wrong; even the most immortal untouchables can fall, and their fall always seems so massive. You just don’t want to believe what you see but it occurs, actual video clips of him buying and selling drugs are all quite depressing to watch. Most of the stories and interviews at this point are really intense and graphic, and perfectly illustrate how crazy life gets when you make certain drugs a focal point.
The movie goes on to show the outcome of his life with drugs, and how things are now in the life of Christian Hosoi. The people around Christian as he was growing up are all really amazing and supportive, and you really get a sense of the love that existed between all the people throughout the film. They act as if they are all family, and well, they are. As with most groups of friends that stick together and go through all hardships together, you really are a family. This is a great emotional documentary about one of skateboarding's legends. It’s great for anyone who wants to know everything there is to know about the glamorous and un-glamorous sides of pro skating in the 80’s, and learn more about the incredible Christian Hosoi.
