2020 has left me with a short attention span and no new content to analyze and review. This has led me to look at older projects from artists I enjoy. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about Kanye’s career and his magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Politics and controversy aside, Kanye is incredibly talented, and the vulnerability he presents in each song is unique for an artist of his status. In anticipation of his upcoming album and short film Donda, I want to a throw-back to his short film Runaway (2010), which accompanied My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
In its simplest form, this film is about a man named Griffin who falls in love with a half-phoenix half-woman creature, who falls from the sky. I know that sounds stupid but it is a very good short film. And the reason this should be revisited in 2020 is because this film shows the strange and at times confusing mind of Kanye West. Looking at this we can see this tortured genius’ fall from media approval.
There is a lot to dissect, but I am focused on one scene from the middle that encapsulates the reading of the film. In this scene we see Griffin at a high society gathering with his girlfriend The Phoenix. The scene is shot at an angle reminiscent of the last supper. As The Phoenix picks at her food like a bird, there are a few lines of dialogue that I think are very important. The man sitting next to Griffin begins making unsolicited and condescending comments about The Phoenix.
The man: Your girlfriend is beautiful.
Griffin: Thank you.
The Man: Do you know she’s a Bird?
Griffin: No, I hadn’t noticed.
The Man: Like a monkey in a zoo.
After this exchange, Griffin storms off and starts playing the titular song Runaway. The most popular versions of this film begin with Kanye storming off and end when the song ends, but when we examine the whole scene we get to see the context for his behavior.
I’ve noticed that this is a pattern with Kanye; the media only shows us the rants and the outbursts, not what precipitated them. This fits with the theme because it is about how he envisions his fame to be, his beautiful dark twisted fantasy. This shows us a lesson about Kanye—and people in general. However complicated he may be, taking things out of context will always make someone look bad. We can see Kanye as an example of the way we talk about and diminish mental health right now. Instead of supporting him, we joke and dismiss him.
The great thing about this film is you can interpret it in any way possible. I see it as an ironic commentary on the media and perceptions of the tabloid lifestyle that Kanye ended up living when he married into the Kardashian family. In this film and album, he explores what he ended up becoming: one of the most polarizing figures in the music industry.
Levi Jacobson Reviews 