Letās talk about this scene a little, because I noticed a particular detail in my last viewing thatās had me buzzing and buzzing crying a lot.
Letās start with the obvious: the whole film Nux has wanted to establish his life has some meaning by dyingĀ āhistoric on the Fury Road.ā Of course, all his previous efforts were attempts to continue things the way they wereāin Immortal Joeās terms. Thus, those deaths would not have really been historic. They would have been forgotten, just another blip in the status quo. In crashing the rig and allowing the wives to return to the Citadel, Nux does in fact fulfill his wish to die historicāwithout his actions, the wives likely would not have been able to return to the city and enact the changes they inevitably do. His death matters in a way none of the other deaths in the film doāit matters to changing the future, and thus becomes an important part of the future Citadelās history.
Nux only knows how to do that in his own terms, thoughāthe terms of the War Boys. Thus, his death only gains significance if it is witnessed. For Nux, the action itself is not as important as it being seen and acknowledged. This makes a lot of sense in terms of Immortal Joeās world and its patriarchal structure. Individuals are not important, actions donāt matter unless they are showy and seenāall life boils down not to meaningful actions but to showing off.
But hereās why this film is a feminist masterpiece, and why this scene in particular cements that: Capableās reaction.
Capable does witness him. She locks eyes and acknowledges the significance of his action, of his inevitable death. But she doesnāt respond like one of the War Boysāwhen the War Boys die asking to be witnessed, the others respond yellingĀ āWitnessed!ā This answer does say,Ā āI have seen your action, it matters,ā but hollered with usual the War Boy bravado, it also acts as an attempt for the witnessing War Boys to build up their own importance by making themselves part of the action.
Capable does not yellĀ āWitnessed.ā She responds with a gestureāholding her hand out and pulling it toward her heart. This is the Vuvaliniās gesture of mourningāa beautiful gesture that essentially mimics pulling the lost soul into oneās own heart. Capable has only just learned this gesture, but she seems to innately understand its significance. Thus, while she witnesses Nuxās death, she refuses toĀ āwitnessā him in the sense of the War Boys and instead mourns him in the manner of the Vuvalini. Nux likely sees thisāthe editing implies he doesnāt turn the rig until after heās seen the gesture. Thus, he knows he is witnessed, but more importantly, he knows that he will be mourned and remembered. With that knowledge, he finally has the strength and the worthy reason to sacrifice his life for a cause that matters.
This moment is also the moment Immortal Joeās power is officially broken. Yes, Joe is dead, but Rictus and a whole gang of War Boys and their ilk are photon their wheels, ready to re-establish the status quo. In many ways it is a transfer of powerāthe last call to witness leads to the first time the Wives truly embrace the culture and ideology of the Vuvalini as their guiding principle. Joeās power is broken not so much by the explosionāthough that is certainly the blunt force that finishes the deal. Joeās power is broken by self sacrificeāa self-sacrifice born not of bravado or the hope of becoming a legend, but one born of community, of love, of hope. Capableās response guarantees that Nuxās sacrifice will be honored and remembered, but in a new way in their new world.
2087
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