I have a theory about what I like to call Kanye West Syndrome, which states that regardless of your liking, disliking, or impartiality to Kanye West, chances are you fit a demographic that is forced to acknowledge him. You may think Ye is the biggest douche bag on the planet….but youre still thinking about him. You may hate looking at him everytime he comes on the tv, but youre still seeing him. You might have even thought Runaway was terrible and pretentious forced art sprinkled with overused cliche themes and un-apologetically bad acting….but youre still reading this review (Editors note: wwWWHHAMMYYYY) Peoples opinion on Kanyes work varies, but its constant in that people HAVE opinions about Kanyes work. I consider him a cultural phenomenon, always reinventing himself not through his music, but through our perceptions of him, thus making his work almost mandatory to consume, formulate, and regurgitate. Runaway is the story of the man under our microscope, trying and inevitably failing at making significant human interaction.

The role of the female in this tragic love story is filled by Selita Ebanks, a phoenix/model who crashes into Kanyes life as well as his car. I immediately thought of the car crash that basically made Kanye Wests career. I started to believe this phoenix was a representation of fame, violently thrown into Kanyes path, forever changing his world. But we quickly learn she is the one in a new world, visually out of her element. I give props for her ability to act like she had no idea who the fuck she was, why the fuck she was there, and what the fuck was goin on. Ye immediately begins grooming her for her new environment, offering

First rule in this world baby, dont pay attention to anything you see on the news.

He then establishes some sort of sexually driven mental and slightly physical control over her with just a few finger strokes on his mpc. And finishes his brain washing/grooming by teaching her etiquette. Straight dinner table manners, this fork and that knife type shit.

Once his bird is ready to be presented, Kanye throws a baller ass last supper style dinner party in his palatial warehouse/Stanley Kubrick dinning hall. The meeting is reminiscent of a P. Diddy all white everything party (including white suits, white table cloth linen, and white slaves) and all of high society is there to pass judgment and demand entertainment from their host. After graciously accepting an insult to his birdfriend from the man next to him, Ye stands up and walks over to a piano to perform Runaway Perhaps in an effort to break tension, perhaps maliciously because it is expected of him, either way this is Kanyes only remotely good acting in the entire piece. I almost want to believe Spike Jonze explained Neo-Realism to Ye, and he purposely chose not to take acting lessons. Fingers crossed.

After an emotional and soulful performance, dinner is served. Several roasted birds are placed at the table by the white servants, including a larger center piece of bird-meat adorned in feathers similar to Selitas, placed right in front of her. She freaks out and throws a fit and everyone storms out. I was hung up on this scene because I couldnt understand how after so much preparation and training, Ye could not foresee this mishap. Like come on dude, its your dinner party you know whats gonna be on the menu. So then I thought he must have wanted to show her. He wanted to be honest with her, and not hide her from the truth about how people (specifically women) like her are treated in his world. They are meat, merely there for presentation and consumption. But the disgusting truth is too much for her, and Kanye is left alone at the table. Alone in a world where he has agreed to be the turkey: watched, judged, gutted, and eventually consumed.

After a tasteful breakup sex with a bird scene, and a discussion further implicating the idea that art consumed takes away from the life of the artist, Selita explains that she has to burn. Possibly meaning die, or breakup, or just simply fly back, but ultimately her only option is to remove herself from Kanyes world. So he continues to run down the road, further and further away.

If I really bought into the idea that art consumed takes away life from the artist, I wouldnt have wasted my time over analyzing this film and writing this long ass review. I believe Kanye made this movie not as a defense of his lifestyle, a cry for help or attention, or an indictment to his fans/critics, rather he made this movie because this is what he does. He entertains. Its what gives him life. He makes music for us, to listen to, to own, to critique, to discuss, and this time hes outdone himself. Hes grown as an artist through both his music and our perceptions of him, and hes become very self aware of his role. The film is nothing more than a visual to supplement his music.

I was so impressed by the music in the film I decided I am going to purchase the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when it comes out November 22, making one of two albums I paid for this year. I highly recommend anyone who liked College Dropout(which is everyone) pick it up as well. The film is available here