Continuing the discussion from New films for analysis?:
Continuing the discussion for the new films for analysis … the question is whether or not the film is a tale. I think it makes a decent effort to tale a complete story. The OS is clear. The MC is clear. And the IC is functional. The RS is the only thing that is really missing. It would have been an easy thing to add – but I’m not complaining. I loved the film.
Could the relationship story be undeveloped as a hook into the next film? Or could it be two storyforms and two survivalist Max types crossing paths and nodding in mutual recognition as a RS?
Might we begin with Story Driver?
We could but it might help to do things the way we usually do. Just to nail down through lines so we know the context.
I think the relationship story is underdeveloped, but my interpretation is that it’s almost like a kidnapper/captive situation; they’re stuck together and manipulate the other to get what they want. Max cannot get away without Furiosa to work the rig, and Furiosa cannot get to the green place without him. At various points, they switch between the captive and the kidnapper, but neither can function without the other. There’s no romance that I picked up on, but no friendship either. I can’t think of an appropriate word to describe their relationship, however.
With the Overall story no doubt in ‘physics’ (what else could it be?), the relationship is ‘Manipulation’, so I think it works in that sense.
That’s probably better - kidnapper/captive – and I guess you could say that when they stop using each other things get better for their relationship … hmmm, maybe it’s not as missing as I thought - but definitely very underdeveloped.
Not complaining though!
Buddy film? Since there’s no romance between Max and Furiosa their dynamic feels that way to me.
They have different backgrounds and personalities, there are some misunderstandings along the way. They sort of become friends and gain mutual respect. Buddy film.
Of course it would be a hybrid Buddy film - road movie. “Buddy road trip”
Their relationship goes from the kidnapper/captive mentioned by @jamjam1794 to working together as a team.
Browsing through the Dramatica Analysis section, I think these Relationship Story Throughlines could be of a similar kind of Max-Furiosa’s:
Princess Mononoke: Foes or Allies?
The Shawshank Redemption: Growing Friendship
Maybe even Toy Story “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”
Their “friendship” is not as close as Woody-Buzz or Andy-Red, but the Max-Furiousa relationship in their last scene is clearly different than in their first scene together.
Foes or Allies sounds good.
Main Character Dynamics - because I’m almost certain no one will find difficulty identifying the thematics in this story, we can do all four at once - Resolve, Growth, Approach and Problem-Solving Style.
Resolve: Max is changed.
Growth: Stop.
Approach: Do-er.
Problem Solving Style: Linear.
I think the RS is something like “Forced Collaboration” but even that falls apart, because they have the opportunity to split up before they take the U-turn. Maybe it’s “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Resolve: Steadfast. Max is an independent survivor, and remains one at the end.
Approach: Be-er He’s plagued by memories of a failure. He survives by knowing when to act.
Problem-Solving Style: Linear. “If I can save these women, I can find redemption.”
Resolve: Change. During the first half Max reluctantly helps Furiosa and the Wives. He helps them only because he needs them (well, the truck) to escape. Once they find out the Green Place is inhabitable and they part ways, Max is the one that convinces them to return to the Citadel.
Max: “At least that way we’ll be able to… together… come across some kind of redemption.”
Growth: Stop. Max needs to stop worrying about what happened to the people he couldn’t save. There’s nothing he can do about it, they’re gone and that’s it. But he can help Furiosa and the Wives.
Max: Here they come again… the voices in the black matter of my brain.
Approach: Do-er. He steals the truck (although he doesn’t go too far because of the kill switch). He fights the Bullet Farmer (although we don’t see that fight). He goes to take the Citadel. And he leaves in the end.
Max: “You know… Hope is a mistake. If you don’t fix what’s broke, you’ll go insane.”
Problem-Solving Style:Linear - Steal the truck leads to escape. Return to Citadel, along the way block Joe leads to having water and food.
I would agree with Changed and Do-er. He’s running away in the beginning, At the end he’s heading the other direction – into the fight.
shake shake
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/ \
/ all\
/ signs\
/ point \
/ to tale \I think we’ve done a disservice to the process here by skimping on examples.
I really think Max is a Be-er. I can see that he is a Change character – he’s been trying to deal with his memories by running, but here he decides to go into the fight to find redemption. But nobody is arguing that. Besides which, I’ll just say, “But he leaves at the end, which is what he did at the beginning.”
Okay, so why is this a tale? Because he leaves to preserve the mythology of Mad Max. He can’t settle with Furiosa, or that gets ruined. Plus, we never actually see any sign that he got over his initial angst. It’s just not dealt with. Maybe his relationship with Furiosa indicates that he has opened up, whereas before he was closed. But it’s so light, that I can’t hang an argument on it.
He does leave at the end … after the story has already finished. His Changed Resolve – leaving survival behind to head back into the lions den – solves the OS. It’s not terribly deep but it’s there.
And I can’t remember the exact scene but I’m pretty sure we had indication that he resolved the issue with the little girl.
Like I said before we started this I’m not sure how insightful an analysis of this story will be. It’s not very deep – not that that is a bad thing. I loved the movie.
When it comes to his personal problems he Does things. When he’s trapped in the beginning and being tattooed he doesn’t try to win them over with his personality the way a Be-er would – he busts skulls and starts running.
I think we’re going to find that this is a very traditional basic storyform. I have a feeling that’s why it’s so immensely popular. It does something very familiar, but it does it extremely well.
Story Dynamics anyone? Driver, Limit, Outcome and Judgment?
Driver: Action: Furiosa kidnaps the Wives. (although she should have decided that before, but we don’t see the decision) . And the action that finishes the story is Furiosa and the Wives assuming power.
Limit: Optionlock: There were few places they could run, when the Green Place is discarded the Citadel is the only option.
Outcome: Success Wives are saved from Immortan Joe. (well, most of them)
Judgment: Good - Probably not very explicit, but Max’s visions are not shown in the last third or so of the movie. I think I need to see it again to look for clues, but I have the feeling his angst about the girl was resolved. Or at least not shown again. I do think both Max and Furiosa found the redemption they were looking for.
I can’t argue against that, but it’s exactly why I think we are headed into Tale territory. (Unless, it’s like The Producers and it’s just super thin. I know that’s what you’ve been saying all along.)
Well, maybe I can argue against that… the parallel between “wives are enslaved as breeders” and “Max is enslaved as a blood bag” makes me think they are both part of the OS.
At any rate, I’m with you about “no complaints”. I think the movie should be nominated for best picture. I’ve never seen anything so cinematic.
Driver: Action. (Kidnapping, Failure to find Green Space leads to decision to turn around, Victory at the end.)
Judgement: Good. (Everyone gets water, Max has a personal bond with Furiosa, Justice has been done.)
Outcome: Success (most of the wives are safe)
Limit: Optionlock
I’m going to switch my Resolve to Change. He was someone who only looked out for himself at the beginning. He decides that the better path is to help Furiosa. The U-turn back into the lion’s den isn’t the important thing (it’s not a change from “running from fights” to “running to fights”), but discarding his desire to operate alone to one of looking out for others and working with others is a Change.
I’d agree that Max is haunted by visions. Those visions seem completely involuntary, and thus they spur him to react. His tendencies are to take action. At the outset, he runs away from captors instead of reasoning with them. He fights Furiosa, he steals the truck, he blows up the Bullet Farmer and his men, rather than trying to charm, bargain or elicit pity from them.
Driver: It’s certainly feels as though it should be Action oriented but I found this a bit broken at times. I can see the stealing of the rig and the wives as the action driving decisions, however, I found Decision taking over toward the end when Max decides to follow after Furiosa and the women and then collectively deciding to go back to the Citadel. Those feel more weighted than any actions in that part of the story.
Judgement: Agree with Good. Max seems to have shed his burden of failing to help (the girl) in the past by helping those who needed him now.
Outcome: Agree with Success. With Joe dead, and his reign over, the wives and their unborn children will now be safe.
Limit: Agree with Optionlock.
The magnitude of this decision isn’t the relevant gauge. They make the decision because the desert isn’t a viable place to live. The “action” of not finding the Green Place forces them to decide: drive across the salt flats or go back to the Citadel. You’re right, that it’s not a clean “do we do X or Y?” scene. But looked at together it’s a discussion: “we should go across the flats, because we have enough supplies for 160 days” … “we should go back because if it’s water we want, we know where to find it.”
I’m curious what we’d feel like if we only focused on the moments where he sees visions. So many of the things you mention are part of the OS.
During the drive back, he is saved by a vision of the girl reaching for his face. He reacts by shielding himself, and “catches” the arrow in his hand. This feels like an impulsive response to me.
When he lets the women drive off on their own, the girl call out to him, and his reaction is to go convince them to turn back. (He changes his nature… he manipulates…). Granted, those are in the wrong Be-er domain, but still…