Mad Max and the Rejection of Nihilism

I can say that without any doubt in my mind, Mad Max: Fury Road completely rejects the notion of nihilism. The movie in itself, from start to finish, is quite literally a battle between the forces of nihilism and the forces of hope, represented by Max and Furiosa, and Immortan Joe, respectfully. Immortan Joe, and those aligned with the Bullet Farm and Gas Town clearly represent nihilism in the film. They are all very often seen wearing dark clothing, and the camera is shot from a low angle on them many times throughout the film to make them appear larger and stronger. They are often accompanied by the aggressive sounds of engines and the sound of drums and very heavy music. The drums are even beaten in such a way to make them sound much like battle drums. With all of this being said, however, the film still, in the end, rejects nihilism. From the very start of the movie, nihilism is challenged. Throughout the film, Max is ridden with guilt because of the lives he could not previously save. This alone is a total rejection of nihilism, given that one of its key principles is that life has no meaning. It is very unlikely that Max would have the said feelings of guilt if in the back of his mind he knew that life had no meaning. The lives that he could not save would not have mattered to him because he would have known that their lives were meaningless anyways. Additionally, throughout the film, there are many glimmers of what can be perceived as hope or peace in a clearly ravaged world. Specifically, when the characters are somehow interacting with nature as we see it today in the film, the soundtrack would go noticeably silent, such as when Max briefly breaks out of the Citadel toward the beginning of the movie, or later on in the movie, when Max, Furiosa, and the rest of their crew are gazing at the stars, watching a satellite pass by. It is the resolution of the film, however, that most clearly rejects nihilism. After Immortan Joe is killed, and the protagonists safely make it back to the Citadel, they release the water for all the people living there. At this point, given that the antagonist is no longer in the picture, the protagonists had the power to essentially do what they want. They could have done what they did in the film, or they simply could have assumed the power that Immortan Joe had and claim all the fresh water for themselves. They, however, chose to share it with everybody, because they were able to recognize that life is important and has meaning. In this case, hope and meaning in life clearly defeated nihilism.