We went to see 'Jesus Is King', Kanye West's documentary The streetstyle of the fans and their reactions to the film directed by Nick Knight
World-class disruptor Kanye West’s latest contribution to the people is a thirty-ish minute art house piece with gospel music, preaching, Bible verses, round camera frames and shots of Wyoming skies (West and his family’s new favourite spot). Jesus is King is as much a vehicle for Kanye’s Yeezus as Jesus persona as it is a chance for fans to get a glimpse into the musician’s warped mind. We all love a good Kanye West meltdown, but Jesus Is King seems to be professing the message that the craziness is finally behind West, and the future is God. James Turrell’s Roden Center serves as the setting for this self-indulgent experimental video art piece and Ye’s Sunday Service Choir is the star. The intimacy of the space and feel is palpable, yet us viewers couldn’t help but feel separated by whatever exaltation the singers and Ye were experiencing on screen. Having premiered the previous night in Los Angeles to a massive crowd of cheering fans and a hyped out Kanye, this morning’s screening at the BFI IMAX in London was a very different experience, as well as not being completely sold out.
Attendees started pouring in a good 40 minutes before the show, immediately set themselves apart from the rest: adidas tracks in every shade of the rainbow, dyed hair and face tattoos, combat boots, bucket hats even though it wasn’t raining and an overall sense of uber coolness was floating around. Many were wearing electric blue clothing to emulate the film’s poster, as well as Yeezys on everyone’s feet (as well as a couple of Kardashians look-alikes). These are the real fans.
I spoke to people after the screening and many felt that this wasn’t a Kanye West production, but rather an experimental art house gospel video, executively produced by West. The general consensus is that it is undeniably a beautiful piece of cinema, the IMAX surround system is definitely necessary to fully experience the angelic voices of the choir and the set design is hypnotizing. As for Kanye himself, opinions varied but an overall sense of slight disappointment didn’t go unnoticed; the fans wanted more, and they deserve it. Jesus Is King perfectly showcases Kanye’s new sense of self, artistic ideology, beliefs and mental health presently. We can only hope he’ll return to Earth sometime soon, but for now- it’s quite a treat to see him in action and finally in what appears to be his element.
