With Furiosa

[dolorosa_12]

I was watching a documentary about Australian film last night, and George Miller appeared on the screen, and I was overcome with emotion all over again. I made Matthias pause the show, because I had to give words to what I was feeling: this overflow of relief and gratitude and astonishment that this white, boomer male filmmaker had understood, and depicted — mainly without words — how angry so many women are all the time,* and why we are angry.

(Incidentally, I met George Miller, decades ago when I was a teenager at some New Year's Eve party in Sydney hosted by one of my mother's friends. And there were moments of connection like that throughout the documentary, whenever various talking heads appeared: Sigrid Thornton, who once overheard my mother, sister and me talking loudly in English, with Australian accents, in a clothes shop in Paris, and advised me as to which winter coat I should buy out of the two over which I'd been deliberating. Gillian Armstrong, whose daughter? stepdaughter? was at school with my sister. Paul Mercurio, who danced with my aunt back when she was a professional dancer. Said aunt is now an economics lecturer. I don't move in particularly exalted circles. It's just that the arts/media/journalism circle in Australia is extremely small, and was even smaller and more incestuous when my parents and their generation were establishing their careers.)

*I mean, when I say 'all the time,' I don't mean I'm brimming with rage constantly, but it's buried there, and can be summoned at a moment's notice by a news item, an interaction, an anecdote by one of my younger sisters, friends, or a stranger, and back it comes.

Comments

[lirazel]

this overflow of relief and gratitude and astonishment that this white, boomer male filmmaker had understood, and depicted — mainly without words — how angry so many women are all the time,* and why we are angry.

YES.

I'm so glad you shared your encounters with figures in the Australian film industry! I grew up loving The Man from Snowy River and Armstrong's Little Women is near the very top of my favorite movies list, so I'm delighted to hear about your interactions with them (especially the coat!).

[kore]

(Wow, gorgeous icon!)

[kore]

OMG yes, that movie was such a spirit boost. I should rewatch it! (We rewatched Captain Marvel last night. But damn, Fury Road is so much better -- no shade -- it's a masterpiece.)

[lirazel]

Oh thank you! I made it, so I really appreciate you saying that! :D

[kore]

Aww, I'm glad! <3

[dolorosa_12]

It is such a good film (and I agree with kore, your icon is great!

I don't want to overstate things — most of those encounters were extremely tangential or secondhand (I also once sold David Wenham a croissant, saw Russell Crowe in the street in Sydney, and a different aunt was housesitting over the summer and the house was next door to Hugo Weaving's house and we could hear him and his kids swimming in the pool outside — Australia is tiny), but it does amuse me how easy it is to have those kinds of encounters if you're part of such a tiny community!

Sigrid Thornton gave excellent advice regarding that coat. I bought it (or rather my mother bought it for me) when I was fourteen, and I was still wearing it five years later!

[dolorosa_12]

Fury Road is an utter masterpiece. Obviously I'm praising its feminist message in this post, but it's just astonishingly good in every conceivable way: the cinematography, the costuming and casting, the dialogue, the score and locations, the stunts, the look and feel of all the cars/trucks/motorbikes. It's pretty much as close to perfect as a film could be.

I haven't rewatched it recently, and should probably remedy that soon!

[kore]

YES, it's just gorgeous! Seeing it in the theatre was such a great experience.

Now I want to rewatch it again too!

[lokifan]

what I was feeling: this overflow of relief and gratitude and astonishment that this white, boomer male filmmaker had understood, and depicted — mainly without words — how angry so many women are all the time,* and why we are angry.

For real.

[dolorosa_12]

I'm still in such awe that he was able to make a film that said the things it said — that spoke to me and all the things I've experienced — in such a powerful way.