IDs: Physically Disabled, Amputee, Mentally Ill

CWs: Violence, apocalypse, gender-based violence, mention of sexual assault and rape

Miller’s film is brimming with disability. The post-apocalyptic landscape of Mad Max is a result of radiation poisoning, causing various disabilities and illnesses. The film follows Furiosa, a woman with one arm and a shaved head, as she attempts to flee Immortan Joe and the Citadel. In her escape, she takes with her Immortan Joe's five wives. Immortan Joe is the leader of the Citadel, the only source of water in the post-apocalyptic world. His five wives are all free from visible disabilities or tumors. Their visible "perfection" results in them being locked up in the Citadel and brainwashed. While none of the wives are physically disabled, they all have experienced trauma, and have various mental illnesses because of it. Splendid has severe depression and has had episodes of self-harm. Cheedo has symptoms of PTSD, and the Dag displays elements of madness. Furiosa is an amputee, and has a prosthetic arm that functions as a multi-use weapon and tool. Max also has PTSD, and suffers from trauma flashbacks. The film explores multiple modes of disability, presenting it not as something that these characters must overcome, but as something that is simply a part of their reality.

While there are no explicitly queer relationships in the film, there are undercurrents of queerness, most notably in Furiosa. While Furiosa and Max’s relationship builds over the course of the film, it is ultimately the wives that Furiosa is most loyal to. Her and Max learn to trust one another, but it is the wives that she gives up everything for in order to bring them to the Green Place, and then back to the Citadel.  In the final battle scene, we see Toast captured by one of Immortan Joe’s men (1:36:36 - 1:36:46). Furiosa catches Max as he is about to be run over by one of Immortan Joe’s trucks, and while doing so, she is stabbed. She nearly drops Max, but then Immortan Joe’s vehicle drives by with Toast pressed against the window. Furiosa and Toast make eye contact, and it is then that Furiosa is able to pull herself and Max back to safety (1:37:51 - 1:37:56). While Furiosa’s loyalty to the wives and motivation to keep them safe could be due to her previous responsibilities as their guardian, it also could be something more. The only romantic possibility that occurs in the film is between Nux and Capable, a heterosexual-passing couple. The other wives, Furiosa, and Max all show no romantic or sexual interest in anyone. This is not to say that they don’t have it, but its invisibility could be indicative of asexuality or aromanticism. Furiosa is also from the Green Place, and is a part of the Vuvalini of Many Mothers. The Vuvalini are a matriarchal society, and all of its known members are women. It is unclear whether or not there are any Vuvalini of other genders. We do know that Furiosa grew up among women. It is not an unreasonable conclusion that a number of the Vuvalini would be women loving women. While we don’t know for sure about the queerness of any of these characters, we can say that it is likely that some of them are queer, and that queerness has a role in their past and in their hopes for the future.

Discussion Questions

1. Did you find queerness in this film? If yes, where? Why do you think this queerness was kept in the subtext of the film, rather than having a more primary role?

2. Who is the hero of this story? Why?

3. What is the film saying about gender? How does this message intersect with the film’s message about disability and/or queerness?

4. What is the significance of Furiosa being the only physically disabled woman that we see? And what does it mean that the wives all show signs of mental illness / disability, but not physical?