ONE-SENTENCE REVIEW :A solid addition to the Mad Max franchise, this installment, while
still a violent motor-pocalypse,provides a layered narrative and somewhatcomplex characters.
RATING :
⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"What was that? That was the darkest of angels"- The History Man
GENRE :
TYPE
Tragedy.
SUPER GENRE
Action.
MACROGENRE: MICROGENRE
APOCALYPTIC: Postapocalyptic. EPIC/SAGA: Person-specific. FAMILY
DRAMA: Family Loss. REVENGE/JUSTICE: Settle a score. SURVIVAL:
captivity, Nature/Outdoor, Experiences, Rescue.
VOICE
Traditional voice written for adults and instances of voice over.
PATHWAY
Between traditional pathway and the road journey.
POINT OF VIEW
Primary omniscient.
Based on the Screenwriters' Taxonomy.
ELEMENTS OF CONTEXT :
WHO ?
Directed and produced by George Miller, the movie is the 5th installement
in the Mad Max Cinematic Universe and took 15 years to be written
(Wikipedia).
The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne as younger versions of
Furiosa (originally portrayed by Charlize Theron), alongside Chris
Hemsworth and Tom Burke.
WHEN ? WHERE ?
The movies' principal photography began in May 2022, on location
in one of Australia's ghost towns ( New South Wales towns of Hay and Silverton).
WHAT ?
After a global catastrophe, Australia becomes a radioactive wasteland.
The Green Place of Many Mothers is one of the last areas with fresh
water and agriculture. Raiders discover the Green Place, capturing a
young Furiosa for their leader, Dementus. Furiosa's mother, Mary,
rescues her, but is killed by Dementus. He adopts Furiosa, hoping she
will lead him to the Green Place.
Years later, Furiosa works for Immortan Joe, ruler of the Citadel and
co-leads the War Rig.
Joe orders an attack on Gastown, but Dementus, now in control, ambushes
the War Rig. Furiosa escapes, losing her arm in the process.
She confronts Dementus, captures him, and potentially uses him as
fertilizer for a peach tree.
A TRAGEDY ?
The movie narrative is structured into five acts (a structure clearly
shown through explanatory intertitles throughout the movie), reminiscent
of a Greek tragedy, with each "act" containing significant moments
:
Source : Redsy
Act 1 (Prologue):
Introduction of Furiosa and the Green Place as one the last
havens in a post-apocalyptic world, followed by her abduction by
Dementus.
Act 2 (Rising Action):
Furiosa's imprisonment in the Citadel's vault after being captured
by Dementus.
Act 3 (Climax):
Furiosa's plan to escape the Citadel with Joe and her successful
journey to Bullet Town, where she ahieves her goal.
Act 4 (Falling Action):
Furiosa's confrontation with Dementus, leading to the destruction of
the War Rig and the death of Joe.
Act 5 (Dénouement):
The resolution of Dementus's storyline and the final scene where
Furiosa and the "Five Wives" prepare for a new journey, symbolizing
a fresh start and hope for the future.
RELIGIOUS REFERENCES :
THE TWO PEACH 🍑 TREES
→ Let's start by delineating the common points between the biblical
story of the Fall of Man and Furiosa's journey in the film
:
In the biblical narrative, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God
in the Garden of Eden until they were tempted by the serpent to eat
the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
This act led to their expulsion from paradise, as they became aware
of their nakedness and faced the consequences of their disobedience.
To prevent them from also eating from the tree of life and gaining
immortality, God placed cherubim to guard the entrance.
In the film's opening sequence, Furiosa's action of "stealing the
fruit" from the first peach tree serves as a symbolic parallel to
this biblical story. This pivotal moment leads to her "expulsion"
from the green place, where she was once safe and sheltered. This
expulsion mirrors the banishment of Adam and Eve, as Furiosa is
thrust into a harsh and unforgiving post-apocalyptic world, facing
numerous hardships and losses.
The second peach tree, which appears at the end of the movie, can
be interpreted as the biblical tree of life. This tree sustains
humanity in several ways: first, it represents fertility in a world
plagued by drought and infertility; second, it ironically sustains
humanity through the soil made from Dementus; and third, it enables
Furiosa to liberate the women from the Citadel and, in the sequel,
to find a semblance of peace and fulfillment in her life. Overall,
this tree symbolizes hope, renewal, and the possibility of
transcending the limitations of mortality.
FURIOSA'S MYTH
We can go even further by saying that in Genesis 3:22, it is
stated,
"The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He
must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the
tree of life and eat, and live forever". And as Furiosa not only eats from the second tree but grows
it and sustains it, it strongly suggests that she surpassed the
stature of "man" and become a "myth", a "legend" that will endure
indefinitely.
This is actually quite explicitly showed in the movie when Dementus
says "Do you have it in you to make it epic ?" The
narrative then transitions to a voiceover by the History Man, who
speaks of Furiosa's deeds as if they were already the stuff of
legend, taking on the role of the old storyteller.
FEMINISM
The film's climax could offer a small reimagining of the biblical
narrative, revealing women as inherently blameless. Furiosa's act of
revitalizing the second Peach Tree by transforming Dementus into its
soil serves as a powerful metaphor. It symbolizes a reversal of the
traditional blame placed on women, portraying men as corrupt
instead. This is exemplified by the closing shot of Dementus,
smiling longingly at the ripe peach, signifying a desire for
something pure and fertile that men cannot attain.
This inversion challenges the traditional view of women as the
source of humanity's downfall, presenting a strong feminist
subversion. While apples typically symbolize a "forbidden" fruit,
representing entrapment, the peach—a ripe one—symbolizes virginity,
purity, and fertility. Men gaze longingly at it, while women
preserve it, highlighting the contrasting roles assigned to each
gender.
THREE SHADES OF DEMENTUS :
Dementus, deriving from the Late Latin
dementare (from Latin dement- meaning "out of one's
mind, mad,"), foretells his gradual descent into madness. His
catabase unfolds in three stages, each marked by a distinct
color: white, red, and finally, black.
⚪ WHITE ⚪
Initially, Dementus is clad in white, reminiscent of the garments
worn by ancient Greek wisdom men. This attire presents him as a
figure of purity and high intellect. He speaks calmly, his words
devoid of violence. This creates a stark contrast to the savage men
surrounding him, whose voices blend with the howls of dogs, blurring
the line between man and beast.
🔴 RED 🔴
The shift to red signifies a deeper plunge into
madness. Metaphorically, The following
picture foreshadows the bloodshed he will cause and the
perverse joy it will bring him. Even more impactful is
the scene from which the picture is taken, where Dementus stands
under the "sky blood," as a war boy calls it, in complete
silence. This moment is particularly striking in a film that
features rhythmic and epic non-diegetic music almost at all
times : maybe it serves as an anticipated minute of silence to
all the victims for all the victims he will create, or maybe it
represents the silence of death, inviting viewers to imagine the
screams of the dead.
During this phase, Dementus loses three significant figures:
The History Man, symbolizing knowledge; The Healer,
representing life; and the Octoboss, embodying the principle
of restraint, of death without excess. These losses symbolically
strip him of Knowledge, Life, and Restraint,
pushing him further into insanity.
The lingering red in his beard and cape serves as a haunting
reminder of the blood he has spilled, suggesting that the
consequences of his actions will stay with him until there is no
"him" left, until his death. In other words he is forever
tainted.
⚫ BLACK ⚫
In the final stage, draped entirely in black, Dementus loses
everyone except his fool, whose madness mirrors his own. This phase
signifies a complete loss of sanity and connection to reality. His
statement to Furiosa, "already dead," reflects his
psychological state—bereft of hope or reason.
The cape worn by Dementus is not merely a costume element; it is
a symbolic extension of his psyche. It changes color along with
his mental state, reflecting his inner turmoil and descent into
madness. This is why when Furiosa wears the cape at the film's
end, it leads to his final defeat.
FURIOSA'S FLAT ARC :
FURIOSA'S FURIOUSNESS
A flat arc occurs when
"The protagonist changes his perspective, learns different
skills, or gains a different role. The end-result is not
'better' or more than the starting point, just different. The
protagonist has not overcome a grand inner resistance or
anything, he simply gained a new set of skills or assumed a
new position, maybe discovered a talent he forgot he had, or a
different vocation"(1).
In the case of Furiosa, she embodies a flat arc because her
fundamental nature, defined by her name (same as Dementus),
remains unchanged. She is fierce and determined from the
beginning, and as she ages and faces adversity and violence
throughout her life, her fury only intensifies.
The symbolic act of cutting her hair after each "crucial"
harrowing experience represents her increasing rage and
resilience. It is a ritual that not only signifies her emotional
state but also acts as a form of therapy, preventing her from
descending into madness like Dementus, and enabling her to grow
stronger. Indeed,
"Studies have shown that cutting one's hair (especially when
going through a traumatic life change, such as a breakup) can
provide a sense of control and emotional release. Changing one's
hairstyle can also be a powerful tool in helping redefine or
solidify one's identity. Even a simple trim has mental health
benefits"(2).
⚪🔴⚫COLORS⚫🔴⚪
After she is kidnapped, Furiosa is ALWAYS depicted in in a
balanced mix of the colors red, white, and black, each one
representing different facets of her character and
journey.
The red symbolizes her fiery anger and the bloodshed she has
witnessed and endured. The white stands for her moments of clarity
and the remnants of purity and hope within her. The black signifies
the darkness and sorrow she has faced.
Unlike Dementus, whose "Black" madness consumes him, Furiosa
maintains a balance among these aspects of herself. She navigates
the complexities of her past and present without succumbing to
despair, emerging as a strong and multidimensional or "multicolored"
character.
As evident in the shots above, red is a dominant color, appearing in
the car, the rust, and the imagery of fire and blood. Furiosa's face
is partially covered in black war makeup, suggesting a connection to
death that never fully consumes her. White comes primarly from the
lighting and the sky.
In the film's conclusion, this equilibrium is visually encapsulated
as Furiosa is shown wearing a three-colored cape. Here, she holds
her fury, wisdom, and sorrow in a delicate balance, embodying
elements of every shade seen in Dementus. However, instead of
allowing these hues to overpower one another, Furiosa blends them
together to create a more harmonious color palette.
Furthermore, combining red, white, and black in equal parts results
in a darker shade of gray, which perfectly characterizes Furiosa as
a morally gray character. She is not purely black or white but
exists in the nuanced space in between—an anti-hero who is
nonetheless heroic in her actions and motivations.
DARK ANGEL
The periphrase "angel of death" used to describe Furiosa is a
powerful and explicit one, that once more highlights her shades'
equilibrium : an angel traditionally signifies purity and innocence,
typically represented by the color white. In contrast, death is
often associated with darkness and finality, symbolized by the color
black. Additionally, death evokes images of blood, the cessation of
life, and violence, all of which are symbolized by the color
red.
We can also add that the use of high key side-lighting in the film,
which casts a halo-like 😇 effect over Furiosa's head, further
emphasizes her "purity" and "angelic" qualities.
MY PERSONAL OPINION :
The romance subplot felt entirely unnecessary, adding little to
the overall narrative and almost serving as a MacGuffin. Some
events, like Furiosa's escape from Joe's son and her subsequent
disguise as a boy to work her way up Joe's ranks, were oddly
explained, leaving gaps in the story that made it difficult to
follow. Despite these issues, the action scenes were mind-blowing,
showcasing exceptional choreography and actor blocking. The
cinematography was visually stunning, with highly saturated colors
that brought a vibrant and intense energy to the film. I was also
pleasantly surprised by Hemsworth's acting; he definitely stepped
out of his Thor-esque comfort zone to embody this demented leader.
🔎 BIBLIOGRAPHY :
(1) Weiland, K. M. (2023). Creating character arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot and Character Development. M.M. Mukhi and Sons.
A very brief "essay" on the intrinsic connection between Janus and cinema WHO IS JANUS ? : ROMAN GOD Janus is the Roman God of all beginnings, gates, transitions, time, choices, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. A mysterious deity, his true nature is still debated to this day. Interpretations concerning the god's fundamental nature either limit it to this general function or emphasize a concrete or particular aspect of it. ETYMOLOGY The name of the god comes form Iānus , meaning in Latin "arched passage, doorway". Cicero, Ovid and Macrobius have also indicated that the name derived from the verb ire ("to go"), which made of Janus the god of motion and transitions. GOD OF MOTION Since movement and change are interconnected, he has a double nature, symbolised in his two-headed image. He also rules the progress of past to future, from one condition to another, from one vision to another, and young people's g...
Comments
Post a Comment