Depiction of the post-apocalyptic world: A semiotic analysis of the film Mad Max: Fury Road

Considering the complex communication structure of today's world and the realm of meaning constructed through signs, it is evident that films occupy a significant position within this system of signs. In such a structure where each visual and auditory element carries potential meaning semiotic analyses allow for a deeper understanding of films. For this reason, the film "Mad Max: Fury Road," which portrays a post-apocalyptic world, is notable for its realistic approach. This thesis aims to analyze and explain the signs present within the film using a semiotic method. The thesis seeks to explicate the signs in the film, along with their connotations, through Roland Barthes's method of semiotic analysis. Indicators of narratives such as the deification of man, the collapse of myths, the essence of humanity, the role and resistance of women in post-apocalyptic society, the survival instinct, and the function of religion and belief in societal formation will be explained under the headings of signifier and signified. Unlike many other post-apocalyptic and dystopian films, this film avoids a surrealist stance, instead adopting a realistic approach to emphasize that the mechanisms and problems of the contemporary world persist, with only the subjects and objects having been altered. The reason for choosing the semiotic analysis method is that it is the most effective way to demonstrate that this work—which may appear to be a simple action film to a casual observer—is in fact composed of layers of meaning and narrative, distinguished by the signified dimension of its numerous signs and its cinematographic richness.