Speaking of Kanye West since I made a post about him awhile back, I managed to catch the MTV premier of his short film "Runaway". It's the story about a phoenix that falls to earth and becomes Kanye's girlfriend until eventually, she has to come back to her planet. First off, I applaud that a rapper would even get the idea of doing a short film like this, and I feel that this definitely puts Kanye in the light of becoming an icon. This hasn't really been done by a black artist since Michael Jackson, and this is a great way to solidify that notion.
My analysis of this movie is pretty simple. Kanye is driving home through the woods and finds The Phoenix crashing down from the sky. He later picks her up and makes her his girlfriend, and teaching her how to live in this world. The Phoenix, played by the beautiful Selita Ebanks, represents an outcast to a world that she barely understands. The usage of color and cinematography fully makes it visually beautiful and the symbolism gives it an extra flare. She's trying to figure out how to adapt to society with the guide of someone who sees her for who she is and not her outer appearance and perception (she's half human, half bird). However, the other members do not respect her and despite offering bread to them to show compassion, she is refused based on who she is. A dinner guests insults her in comments to Kanye, so he had to get up to giv e a "toast to the douchbag". The part about the turkey is supposed to show The Phoenix’s upmost disdain for society that they’ll destroy something similar to her for their own personal gain (or health, for that matter). She screams so loud that the rest of the people have to leave because they feel no compassion for what they’ve done (except Kanye who stays). It’s a cutthroat society and its a dog-eat-dog world.
Kanye later takes her to a parade where "all of the lights" are flashing with a giant sculpture of Michael Jackson's head. It is Kanye's attempt to show The Phoenix his lifestyle and this is what he lives and breathes for. A little kid runs to the parade happy and full of smiles, but leaves in a red hoodie while running slowly. Despite the allure and the appeal of these lights and the flashy world, it can consume you and make you become a puppet in an elitist cult that neglects anything out of their perception. By the end of the film, The Phoenix feels that she can't be in a world that doesn't understand or respect her, so she burns and travels home while Kanye is struggling to get her back.
This part makes me wanna get into bestiality, haha
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