Stylebender

Dancing helped me discover using your anger as fuel. Dancing in front of three people gives me anxiety. Fighting in front of millions of people doesn't do s**t to me.

– MMA fighter Israel Adesanya on how dancing helped him harness his talents

I was an outsider, and then I tried to fit in. But I wasn't meant to fit in.

– Adesanya on his Kiwi childhood

They don't teach you how to be famous, so I've had to learn that s**t myself.

– Adesanya on coping with his sporting fame

He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and in this sport that's pretty abnormal.

– Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman

I want to represent for my younger self, because I remember feeling helpless.

– Adesanya

Nobody writes a book on how to be famous and how to deal with it, so you have to write your own. I've watched the pitfalls of a lot of famous athletes, actresses, actors and musicians, and seen how they have dealt with it, so I've avoided being one of those tabloid stories. People don't care - they just want to take your peace and your time. Everyone needs their peace. I am a social butterfly, I'm extroverted when I want to be, but there's times I need to be with my own thoughts and be at peace with myself

– Excerpt from an interview with fighter Israel Adesanya, RNZ, 3 March 2022

Even if I was not the protagonist of this movie, I feel like I would watch this and I would recommend this, and not to be ‘sexist,’ but to young men, and just men in general, Anyone who’s not even a fan of MMA or not even a fan of me, you can get something from this. Because myself, and Eugene as well — I’m so proud of him for being honest and open and raw. My parents, being expressive as they were. My brother. And Zoë, the way she shot it, she didn’t want it to just be like a regular MMA documentary or a regular fight or boxing documentary. She wanted to where your average Joe or soccer mom could watch this and get something from it, and I feel like it did that.

– Israel Adesanya on his biopic Stylebender, MMA Fighting Magazine, 25 August 2023

I was surrounded by so much stimulation that when I went home and was eventually by myself, for about two weeks, I was really depressed and I was like 'what's this about?' It was all these negative feelings and self-talk. But I did therapy and that helped. One tool is having the right people around me who keep it real with me, that's paramount.

– Adesanya opens up about returning to New Zealand after the hype of his MMA success, Radio New Zealand, 3 March 2022

Director Zoe McIntosh worked with Adesanya for five years to get the material for this film. Stylebender tracks Adesanya from a rising star, to a genuine top-ranked superstar and world champion. But, more than that, this is a film about origins, family, upbringing and the vulnerabilities those things can imprint on us . . . This is an absorbing, engaging and extremely likeable film about a man who deserves exactly that.

– Graeme Tuckett in a four star review, Stuff, 28 September 2023

Uncomfortable subjects are at the heart of this exploration of character; from dealing with racism when his family relocated from Nigeria and settled in Rotorua, having fans show up at his house out of the blue once his star began to rise on the world’s stage, the death of a teammate, losing a lucrative sponsorship because of a social media controversy, and realising he needed to own who he is rather than trying to fit in.

– NZ Herald reviewer Christopher Reive, 26 September 2023

Stylebender tells a good story about a fighter becoming a champion but it’s a downright fantastic film about a man reconciling with his internal rage—anger turns into fuel, then becomes an addiction, but always takes a mental toll. Neither praising nor villainising her subject, McIntosh achieves a remarkable judgement-free approach to Adesanya’s journey and trusts the audience will be as receptive.

– Flicks reviewer Liam Maguren, 28 September 2023

Zoe McIntosh’s account of the fascinating Nigerian Kiwi fighter Israel Adesanya is thrilling. McIntosh plumbs compelling, wrenching themes like bullying and trauma, grief and therapy, forgiveness and hope.

– Alexander Bisley, in an RNZ article on the best films of 2023, December 2023