There’s a long way between persona and private self – and in true Kanye West form, his new film In Whose Name? navigates that boundary with unflinching confrontation.
Over six years, we watch Kanye West (now Ye) through some of his most tumultuous moments, from the public fallout, personal reckonings, and episodes that have been filtered through the headlines for months.
But the film’s power lies not in the recapping what we already know – it’s peeling back what remains hidden, forcing us to see not just the performance of controversy but the man behind it, in his rawest, disarmed moments.
Where Can You Watch ‘In Whose Name?’
Although the film opened on September 19, so far it has been confined to a limited theatre run in the US only.
There has been no official word if the film is set to make it to our shores and as for streaming? While, Kanye’s elementary documentary (jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy) was originally picked up by Netflix there is no suggestion that the streamer is set to follow suit with his second film.
At this stage, you’d be best poised to keep an eye on international arthouse cinemas, and festival screenings, plus digital platforms that often select high-profile documentaries.
What Is ‘In Whose Name?’ About
The documentary is directed by Nico Ballesteros, an indie director who was just 18 when the project began in 2019 and reportedly filmed over 3,000 hours of footage of West.
In a text exchange that Ballesteros posted to Instagram last year, West described the documentary as “very deep. It was like being dead and looking back on my life”.
It’s not clear how much input West was granted in his portrayal in the film, unlike his first, he is not credited as a producer or creative lead.
Ballesteros explained to the Hollywood Reporter this was never a film focussed on former controversies, more so a commentary on the plight of fame itself.
What Are Some Of The Biggest Moments In ‘In Whose Name?’
- The Kris Jenner Confrontation. A raw, intense confrontation between Kanye (Ye) and Kris Jenner, “where he accuses her (and by extension) the Kardashian-Jenner family)” of contributing to his mental health struggles. The scene gets very emotional, with Kris becoming visibly upset as Kanye presses hard on how their dynamics and family expectations affected him.
- The Kimye Divorce. The collapse of his marriage to Kim Kardashian, including scenes where Kim says “your personality was not like this a few years ago”, which underscore how much things have shifted between the two.
- The Candace Owens Praise. Candace Owens appears to praise Ye’s resilience, comparing him to Michael Jackson and suggesting he’s been unfairly branded “insane” by people in power.
- The Elon Musk Lie-in. Possibly one of the strangest and most human moments arrives with Elon Musk, as the two lie side by side and talk candidly about love, marriage, and Musk’s turbulent relationship with Grimes. It offers a rare glimpse of vulnerability between both men.
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