Westerly: A Man, A Woman, An Enigma

2013, Australia, English, Westerly Windina,

Director: Alan White
Release Year: 2013

Synopsis:

"Westerly: A Man, A Woman, An Enigma" (2013), directed by Alan White, is an introspective and thought-provoking documentary about Peter Drouyn, one of surfing's earliest superstars, who, in a stunning twist, later reinvented herself as Westerly Windina. The film not only explores Drouyn's complex transition but also delves into the tumultuous and sometimes tragic journey of a man becoming a woman—an experience full of emotional depth, societal challenge, and personal metamorphosis.

 

Peter Drouyn’s legacy in the surfing world is well-documented. He was a true visionary, one of the first to make a name for himself on the international surfing scene. Born in Queensland, Australia, in 1950, Drouyn grew up immersed in the world of the beach. His father was a lifeguard and a saxophonist, and his mother a musician. With such artistic and free-spirited influences, it is no surprise that Drouyn developed an affinity for the ocean early on. By the age of 11, he was already surfing, and by 1965, he had made his competitive debut at the Australian Junior Surfing Championship. Despite being assaulted the night before the competition, he still managed to compete and win—a precursor to his legendary resilience.

 

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Drouyn was at the top of his game. He made waves (pun intended) by introducing shorter boards—specifically the 8’11” surfboard, which revolutionized modern surfing competitions. Drouyn’s contributions to the sport were not just technical; he changed how surfing competitions were judged, with his implementation of the "Man-on-Man" judging format in 1977. This format pitted surfers directly against each other in one-on-one heats, a departure from the traditional format of scoring based on a large field of competitors.

 

Drouyn’s celebrity status as a surfer was only heightened by his appearances in films like Oceans (1971) and Drouyn (1974), which documented his surfing exploits around the world, from the Canary Islands to Mauritius. Alongside his passion for surfing, Drouyn also found success as an actor and even as a magazine centerfold for Cleo in 1979. But despite these early successes, Drouyn’s career took a sharp downturn in the 1980s. His attempt to introduce surfing to China in 1985 was met with little interest, and he struggled to maintain stability, experiencing multiple career failures, including a short-lived modeling school, working as a taxi driver, and designing a wave machine. The documentary reveals the unraveling of Drouyn’s life in the years that followed. By the 2000s, he found himself in a series of dead-end jobs, living in a caravan, and financially burdened by the responsibility of caring for his elderly father. But then, in 2008, something truly unexpected occurred. On national television, Drouyn announced that she had transitioned into a woman and now went by the name Westerly Windina.

 

The moment that Peter Drouyn revealed that he was living as a woman, the surf community was shocked. For years, Drouyn had been known as one of the most famous male figures in the sport, yet here he was, renouncing his past self and becoming Westerly Windina. The name "Westerly" refers to the westerly winds that blow offshore on the Gold Coast, where Drouyn spent much of his life surfing. But the transition was not just a matter of appearance or gender; it was a complete psychological and spiritual shift. In interviews, Westerly has described the transformation as a kind of resurrection. She speaks of how, in the process of transitioning, she felt as though Peter Drouyn—her former male self—had "died" and that Westerly was born anew. Westerly Windina is not just a name change or a shift in identity but the birth of a completely different persona: one that is free from the constraints and expectations of her former self.

 

As Westerly explains in the film, her new identity is deeply influenced by the iconic figure of Marilyn Monroe, with whom she shares a number of personal and emotional parallels. Both women, she says, suffered from panic attacks, low self-esteem, and a sense of never being truly understood. In a somewhat mystical claim, Westerly suggests that "Marilyn is in me," a sentiment that ties into the more spiritual aspects of her gender transformation. Despite her new sense of self, Westerly’s life after her transition has been anything but easy. The documentary paints a stark portrait of Westerly's struggles. Since her transformation, she has been living in public housing on the Gold Coast, facing economic hardship and social ostracism. Neighbors taunt her, and she has had to fight for acceptance in a world that is not particularly kind to people who defy societal expectations of gender and identity. Westerly’s life is also marked by isolation. She is alone, estranged from her former friends and family, and unable to fully re-integrate into the surfing community that once celebrated her. In one particularly poignant moment of the film, Westerly reflects on her loneliness, saying, “I’ve lost everything, but I’ve gained myself.”

 

The documentary provides an intimate and sometimes painful look at Westerly's ongoing journey of self-discovery. Her life, now stripped of the fame and excitement of her earlier years, is consumed by the quiet, difficult realities of living as a trans woman in a society that often refuses to acknowledge her humanity. She has few friends, and her financial situation is dire. Despite her personal hardships, she continues to find solace in her work and in her role as a lawyer, having opened a small law firm after her transition. The film portrays Westerly not just as a trans woman but as a person deeply connected to the broader human experience of self-acceptance and personal growth. Her story is one of resilience in the face of adversity. She takes great pride in her new identity and is unapologetic about her past, despite the challenges it brings. Westerly finds strength in confronting the societal stigma that comes with being a trans woman, and in doing so, she continues to inspire others who may feel marginalized or excluded.

 

Westerly’s story is a reminder of the complexities of identity and the ways in which the public and the private can collide. The surf icon who once graced the waves as one of the sport’s greatest talents is now navigating the turbulent waters of personal transformation. "Westerly: A Man, A Woman, An Enigma" is not only a portrait of a trans woman reclaiming her identity but also a reflection on the price of fame, the impact of public personas, and the struggle for acceptance. Despite her personal challenges, Westerly's life is still marked by a certain sense of humor and resilience, characteristics she exhibited in her early years as Peter Drouyn. In the documentary, she is portrayed as a woman who refuses to be confined to any single label or identity. As she puts it, Westerly is "a comedian, a singer," and someone who is carving out a new life, one that transcends the traditional binary of man and woman. Through Alan White’s documentary, Westerly’s journey becomes not just a personal story of transition, but a broader commentary on the nature of identity itself. It challenges us to think more deeply about what it means to live authentically, to resist the confines of social expectations, and to find strength in one's true self—even when the world is unkind or difficult. The film ultimately asks the question: Who is Westerly Windina? Perhaps, in the end, the answer is not so much about gender as it is about a person’s willingness to embrace and redefine themselves on their own terms, no matter the cost.

via: westerlythemovie/info
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