Furiosa (2024) High Review
Furiosa (2024) High Review
Film review consumed legally and responsibly with cannabis. Also an invitation to think deeply by reading slowly. Spoiler alert for Furiosa and many other recent film/tv releases.
I nodded. Of course, sand. Sand diminishes what I see and thus my perception of colors, variety, and sequence. An unforgiving desert will have nothing--no landmarks, no familiarity, no sense of belonging. Sand obscures dimensions, erases paths, and with them, history itself. With sand stretching in every direction, my ability to locate, let alone find myself, is hindered.
Taking all these in, I, too, have arrived at the place of lack and I hate it. I was lost and displaced just like Furiosa. I felt as though I needed to smell the flowers and take a bath. I was in a dream but on the wrong side of the bed. The salted caramel popcorn in my mouth tasted like sweet rocks fracturing into smaller pebbles until they turn into sand.
Which came first? The desert or the mind?
A number of Furiosa reviews talk about lack because how else can we explain the script and sequence of Furiosa, if not lacking? However, what variety of experience is there in the sand? What fuels imagination if not the diversity in what we see? What happens to concepts (esp. hope and tomorrow), language, conversations, and stories when civilizations grow up with only... sand? There may be stories in the place of lack, although not sufficient, by 2024 planet earth standards.
What/where is the place of lack?
In a place of lack, when one's power to decide has been taken away, the remaining decision one can still influence is how to go about his/her own death. There are many ways to die, but limited choices on how to live. Those who thrive and master death in the place of lack use the death of others as a tool for survival. There are so many narratives that could have survived, why did the chosen one narrative endure? Perhaps in the place of lack, one's life and death is packaged to serve an external purpose, and thus being the chosen one gives life and death some form of relative meaning.
Furiosa's earth is horrific, although I find hope in knowing that on the real planet earth, power can never be taken, only given away. And one can take one's power back as easily as it has been given away. We can choose our own power and be our chosen ones. Dementus said it in the place of lack, but alas, it was devoid of meaning. Listen carefully to his words:
All of you. All who protect and honor this magnificent Citadel, you have a choice. A very attractive choice.
I want your leaders. I want those who hold dominance over you. Bring me your leaders and throw them down. Throw them down, and you’ll avoid more suffering and sorrow. They exploit you. They enslave you. They wash their feet in your sweat and blood and they give you nothing in return.
Listen to this truth: Big shots rule only because you choose to follow.
The power is with you. You are free to choose.
Other notes
If I was situated in the right dream then I would be in planet Arrakis of Dune (2021 and 2024), where sand brings immense value and a glimpse of the future. The sand in Arrakis authored its story and defined its power, taking mastery of its planet. After all, what is sand but individual grains refusing to be contained. The desert represents a place of potential and dynamic futures. In Dune, those who understand and conquer the sand inherit the freedom and power of Arrakis.
What is this place of abundance, the Green Place, in Furiosa's earth where the Many Mothers rule? Reflecting on recent releases over the past year, I've noticed a recurring theme exploring the concept of matriarchy. These include the Sisters of the Anima on planet Erden from The Acolyte (2024); the inhabitants of Barbieland in Barbie (2023); the women rulers in the House of the Dragon (2022-); and our very own female dictator, Chancellor Elena Vernham, portrayed by Kate Winslet in The Regime (2024). I would also like to throw in the superwomen from The Power (2023) although I am still waiting for the matriarch part of their story. They found me and I them. Our stories are here. I welcome them into this awakening.
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