In Whose Name? Reflects on Kanye West’s Legacy

Even before he would be shunned by the world for having absolutely abhorrent views on - well, pretty much everything – Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was someone I would refer to as “a genius jerk.” The man had wild takes back then, certainly had an ego, and seemed about as stable as the living room coffee table that I keep promising my wife I’ll fix with a proper leg someday. That is to say, he seemed to function in life, just not very well. Yet his music is undeniably brilliant. When he would make a claim that his next album was going to be a great musical achievement, you were almost annoyed to find out he was right.

Yet several years ago, he decided to start documenting every aspect of his life, wanting to show the world what a flawed, black man with bipolar disorder looked like. I have no idea if the idea was noble or stupid, but Ye couldn’t have picked a better subject to show how unstable a person with this disability can be. Sadly, the final product is “In Whose Name?,” a well-intentioned movie that, sadly, feels about as aimless as its subject and as desperate to be seen as a life-changing art piece. Most of Ye’s most consequential moments are shown without context or explanation, meaning most will likely have to have a basic understanding of the subject going into the film.

Not only does this make the film hostile for people who may not live in Ye’s world (though to be fair, most likely can’t comprehend it), but almost everything is seen from behind the curtain, showing us the situation of how Ye may have viewed things, but only glancing over how the public reacted to his actions. The most insightful thing about this perspective is that I have a newfound respect for Kim Kardashian, who is much more grounded and mature than her reputation would suggest. From what I see, she was truly the glue who not only held her family together but kept him as grounded to reality as she possibly could. She could only do so much when he refused to take his meds, though, and I felt sorry for her when she felt she had no choice but to file for divorce.

You also see several prominent celebrities who will gush over him one minute and then have words with him behind the scenes the next. When Ye decides to become political, it rubs most of his friends the wrong way, and his inability to admit to making mistakes starts to bring down his empire. The aspect of this movie that is most worth exploring is how he seems to take happiness in destroying his life. After a particularly tense interview with Chris Cuomo, he ends the call happily, wondering out loud what outrageous thing he will do next. I can only imagine what it was like to be the cameraman in the room filming all of this.

The issue is that while I can understand wanting audiences to come to their own conclusion, “In Whose Name?” is too vague in how it approaches its subject. What’s more, the unusual editing and overbearing score convey the feeling of a brutalist art film rather than a documentary. While commentary is rare, the music is doing the commenting for us, and the manipulation doesn’t seem so different than how Ye manipulates those around him. This is less of a documentary than a torturous experiment being stuck in a room with a narcissistic, self-destructive force, which leaves the viewer feeling defeated rather than enlightened.