The Vuvalini

Character Analysis

All hail the Vuvalini.

Think of these kickbutt ladies as old school ecofeminists, as lovers of Mother Earth and all the green goodness she produces. That said, they're not afraid to put a bullet in your brain.

Yep, these women are the perfect mix of brains, brawn, beauty, and…old school farming methods. As all that's left of the Many Mothers, who once populated and cultivated the Green Place, these women are tasked with protecting the seeds they took with them when the earth went sour. They live a hardscrabble life out in the wasteland, but they've managed to survive, carrying with them some knowledge of the old world (like satellites, TV shows, and, you know, human kindness).

The arrival of Furiosa, Max, and company changes everything for these women. They welcome Furiosa back like the long lost family she is, and then they decide to throw in their lot with Max and Furiosa and fight for the Citadel because it's their best chance for a future that they control, a future where they're not at the mercy of the wasteland, and a future that doesn't require them to shoot everyone they meet.

These women don't get much of a chance to distinguish themselves as individuals with one great exception: the Keeper of the Seeds (Melissa Jaffer). She's the one that has the brief conversation with the Dag:

THE DAG: You kill people with that, do you?

THE KEEPER OF THE SEEDS: Killed everyone I ever met out here. Headshots. All of them. Snap. Right in the medulla.

THE DAG: Thought somehow you girls were above that.

THE KEEPER OF THE SEEDS: Come here. Take a peek.

THE DAG: Seeds.

THE KEEPER OF THE SEEDS: These are from home. Heirlooms. The real thing. I plant one every chance I get.

THE DAG: Where?

THE KEEPER OF THE SEEDS: So far, nothing's took. Earth's too sour.

THE DAG: Ah, so many different kinds.

THE KEEPER OF THE SEEDS: Trees, flowers, fruit. Back then, everyone had their fill. Back then, there was no need to snap anybody.

Their chat is telling. The Vuvalini seem to be all about preserving an older, more appealing way of life. The Keeper of the Seeds tries to bring that back by planting her seeds everywhere she goes, but with no promising results. Still, she has to keep trying, right? After all, she's fighting for a world where "there was no need to snap anybody."

All that makes her sacrifice—and the sacrifice of many of the Vuvalini—during the movie's climactic chase scene all the more powerful. These women are willing to lay down their lives to both protect Furiosa and the breeders, and to fight for their right to rule over the Citadel and usher in a fairer, more equal world.