On the afternoon of Dec. 1, the National Board of Review (NBR) of Motion Pictures bestowed George Miller's post-apocalyptic thriller, "Mad Max: Fury Road," with the Best Picture Award for 2015.
Miller's film has been getting attention from viewers and critics alike and, while the NBR is not as big as The Academy, an award from the organization whose focus is evaluate films based on its impact and significance is a very huge deal, especially for a mainstream flick.
To put it simply, NBR does not evaluate a film's success based on how many millions of dollars a production earns at the box office, rather, it evaluates all the aspects of the production and weighs its aesthetic and cultural value. That said, mainstream films don't usually get awarded so "Mad Max: Fury Road" receiving one of its major awards is an incredible feat and it's not the only one because mainstream films received many awards for 2015.
Even NBR President Annie Schulhof sees the progress in mainstream cinema. "2015 has been a banner year for popular cinema," she said. Does "Mad Max: Fury Road" deserve its award? Some would argue that it does not but no one can deny that many believe it is a remarkable film, even going so far as to call it the "ultimate feminist movie."
The film can seem chaotic and even cartoonish at times yet the story that holds it together is in accordance with the same drive that Max himself is hanging on to: survival.
So what does feminism have to do with the film other than Charlize Theron's Furiosa leading the pack instead of Max? It's in how she was portrayed and constructed as a person who is aware of her significance, someone who wields a privileged status and its significance in the existing system; how, in spite of the chaos of the post-apocalyptic world, she remains independent, interdependent and aware of the possible outcomes her actions would result in and; the most important thing which many misinterpret when it comes to feminism, in spite of living in the Citadel where women are oppressed, her attitude towards men is not one of spite and hatred for all.
She aims to gain equal footing, to also be depended on when her contributions would be more beneficial, which is something she achieves when Max decides to hand over the gun because she was a better shot. It was Max admitting that a woman was better than him at something but also an action that shows he accepts that fact, and it doesn't make him any less of a man.
So what makes the award a big deal when it's not even an Oscar win? Simple: George Miller once again sent an important message through his film and many seemed to believe that it was significant.
