Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - the deeds of a Desert Warrior by George Miller

Translated by Irene Cecchi

Before delving into the issue, I would like to honor a director that deeply moved me: Roberto Minervini. While I was focused on writing my last publication, I attended the projection of his movie The Damned at a cinema in Milan.

Minervini and the actor Jeremiah Knupp participated at the same event to introduce the movie, enriching it with a detailed discussion about its main themes.

It is a great satisfaction knowing that this movie recently won, ex-aequo, the prestigious award of Best Direction in section “Un Certain Regard” at Cannes Festival.

Let’s now discuss another piece that is attracting the medias’ attention: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”, the new long-awaited chapter of the Mad Max saga.

”As the world fell, Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe . While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home”.

George Miller, at the age of 79, is back in the cinema to bring to life another chapter branded “Mad Max”: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”, a movie that tells the story of this girl’s childhood, born in a peaceful oasis and than kidnapped and raised under Dementus’ tyranny, played by Chris Hemswort, and then Immortan Joe’s one, performed by Lachy Hulme. Grown in a world of violence, Furiosa stands out for her competence and resilience, finding in exile her strength.

The movie, two hours and 28 minutes long, brings us back to Miller's Red Desert, a dear place to the fans of the Mad Max saga. Furiosa is a sequel of the previous chapter “Fury Road” but also its antithesis. While “Fury Road” followed a linear plot, with a fast and incessant sequence, “Furiosa” expands in time and space, telling a story of revenge and personal growth.

Furiosa’s journey, played first by Alyla Browne and then by Anya Taylor-Joy, starts when she is kidnapped by Dementus’ biker group that teaches her violence and rage. Later, they will give her to Immortan Joe in exchange for Gas Town and here she develops even more her abilities and desire for revenge.

Furiosa’s deeds are narrated through fifteen years of waiting, divided in five chapters, that show her evolution from child to warrior. Her psychology isn’t deeply analyzed but her heroic journey and personal growth are well-described through the many challenges she faces and overcome.

Miller uses a rich and saturated visual aesthetic, with a blatant use of CGI but still functional to the poetic narrative of the movie. The soundtrack by Junkie XL and the sound design create a pressing soundscape that supports the spectacular action scenes.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is not only the prequel of “Fury Road” but also an autonomous work that explores universal themes through the story of a heroine. While the main theme of Fury Road was redemption, Furiosa focuses on revenge and identity research. The protagonist, with her determination and resilience, embodies a heroic archetype that goes beyond time and space, making the movie a significant extension for the Mad Max saga.

George Miller’s movie is a story that celebrates the strength and determination of a heroine that, regardless of the adversities, try to take back control of her destiny; a movie that, through the myth and popular tale style, calls us to reflect on current times and on power structures that still affect our lives.

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