The gender swap is (finally!) taking over cinema, with roles originally written for males being played by females, and all-male casted films being remade with ensemble casts of women (“Ghostbusters,” “Ocean’s Eleven”). Earlier this year, George Miller brought us back to his dusty, sepia-colored universe in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and of course, the eponymous Max (the ever prodigious Tom Hardy in the role) was back, but Miller presented us with Furiosa, a stunning, brave, and unquestionably important character in the film.
READ MORE: Video Essay Explores The Rhythmic Chaos in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
In an exacting performance from Charlize Theron (honestly, who else could’ve pulled Furiosa off so seamlessly?) we come to meet this enigmatic character, but do not really find out much about her aside from her mission, and her outward demeanor. In a new video essay from Kiva Reardon at TIFF, she helps us understand just why Miller presented Furiosa this way and why we are quickly brought into the film and its issues at hand rather than the individual crises of each character.
Furiosa and Max balance each other out in the fight for justice and their mission to free Immortan Joe’s sex slaves; a rare case of two explosive sparkplug protagonists evening out the playing field and lending a hand when necessary. The world of cinema could use more of such a succinct harmony.
Check out Kiva’s video below, and give us some examples of other strong female protagonists who are experts in badassery.