"Mad Max Fury Road" was a rip-roaring cinematic delight. I could not help but notice the keen sense of humanity at its core with the efficient, but minimal, dialogue, the chemistry between the two leads Charlize Theoron and Tom Hardy, and the absolutely rich visuals that built a mesmerizing world of dust, cars, and guns. The film follows Imperator Furiosa (Theron) as she escapes from an oppressive warlord with his prized, shackled ‘birth mothers.’ She comes across the desert renegade Max and the two begin a wordless, but strong alliance. Equal parts car-chase and Exodus, the film has four main lessons that attest to "Mad Max"'s keen understanding of humanities’ gall and grit.
1. Do not let physical disabilities define you.
With a buzz cut and black axle greased forehead, the female lead Furiosa communicates a fierce, steely nature as her name suggests. Perhaps the part that was most arresting to me was her mechanical, prosthetic arm. Not only did this woman have a mechanical arm, but also she deftly fought with and without out it making for some of the most intricate and awe-inspiring action scenes I have observed in a while. While we never hear the back-story behind the loss of Furiosa’s arm, we know that she has not allowed this disability to limit her. She is a trusted fighter, does all within her power to protect others (even when divested of the arm) and even uses that limb at a critical point in a vehicle chase fight to save Max from being crushed: here is a woman who is taking her limits and turning them into assets.
2. Multi-generational friendships are valuable.
I think in our society today, men and women can really benefit from building community not only around people our age, but also those younger and older than we are.
I do not know when I last saw a movie that had old women who fought in a battle. In Mad Max, the main characters come across a group of women called the Vulvani who now roam the desert on motorcycles looking for fertile soil in which to plant seeds from their old home. Except for one woman in the group, they are all old. The director, George Miller portrays them in all their wrinkled glory. The Vulvani welcome Furiosa and her female refugees, which makes for some very touching scenes of multi-generational female friendship. The groups bond together and with their shared community and courage, plan to start a new life together. These women gallantly defend each other with fist, rifle and life and genuinely desire the best – knowing each has fallen on hard times. The wives seek a land where they can live as women and not as things. The Vulvani are looking for a place to settle and grow new life: each wishes to flourish.
3. Choosing friends carefully is not a sign of weakness.
Invest in relationships where you can pursue the same or similar things together: choosing friends carefully doesn’t mean you’re picky — it means you care about surrounding yourself with the best advice and support to pursue your goal. Furiosa and Max forge a rich, subtle and believable relationship without romance, but with sacrifice. In the film, it is clear Furiosa has planned her escape and when Max ambushes Furiosa and the Wives, she treats him first as a hostile intruder and then as a fellow human to be bargained with and finally: a friend on the road to redemption. She makes it clear that she needs him during a crucial point in the journey; not because she is too weak or can’t do it alone, but because she needs to protect her companions and because she and Max are looking for the same thing: rest from the past and hope for the future.
4. Acknowledge your frustration and stay open to change.
Acknowledging frustration can be a good and vulnerable step to keeping oneself open to change. Oftentimes, the solutions we need come from where we least expect them, whether that is a broken relationship or an old place. One of the most wrenchingly beautiful scenes in "Mad Max" is when Furiosa realizes that her destination no longer exists. Slowly, she steps over the sand, sinking to her knees and then screaming into the sky. Her one goal now non-existent, Furiosa makes as if to keep riding aimlessly into the desert in search of her redemption. What she does instead is listen to the advice of Max the wanderer. While acknowledging her frustration, she remained open to finding hope where she least expected it: the place she fled from. By overthrowing their old home’s maniacal ruler and returning as ‘just’ rulers, the film concludes by showing how new life can spring up in an oppressive place.
If you haven't seen the movie, I strongly suggest that you give it a viewing or two. You'll find there is more to this car-chase, explosion scene than you think.
