"Despite being set in a post-apocalyptic future, the behaviour reverts to a Dark Age or medieval time, still with 20th century technology," the filmmaker said at a press conference to launch the film, which Lusa attended. "There are no electric cars, no mobile phones or credit cards, no refrigeration or mains electricity or institutions," he described. All of this leads the characters to base behaviour, with the story being an allegory that Miller considered to mirror parts of the modern world.  "We see a lot of these behaviours in the world, the way people relate to each other, it's in the news," he continued.  Set 45 years after the collapse of humanity, with a climate catastrophe that turned the world into a wasteland, the story serves as a prequel to 'Mad Max: Fury Road', starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in 2015 and which won six Oscars.  The new Warner Bros. film brings fire, brutality and revenge and is one of the most anticipated of the year, with hopes that it will help turn around the widespread decline in box office revenue.  Furiosa is now played by Anya Taylor-Joy, with Chris Hemsworth playing Dementus. The choices, said George Miller, were a risky bet that ended up paying off, as the actress was cast before the roles that gave her stardom -- 'The Queen's Gambit' and 'Last Night in Soho'.  "There was something very compelling about her," said Miller, stressing how difficult the role of Furiosa is. "You could argue that the Mad Max films are westerns on wheels, and in many classic westerns the protagonist is laconic," he said. "Max hardly says anything, Furiosa in Fury Road hardly says anything. And in this story, she can't," he added. This means that Anya Taylor-Joy's performance cannot be based on dialogue, but on facial expressions and the physicality of the role. "Also, in this wasteland, words don't mean much. You interact through action, it's a world in extremis," described Miller.  Chris Hemsworth's role is, in a way, the opposite and the director recounted how the actor ended up playing a Dementus different from what had been conceptualised.  "I saw that Chris is a multidimensional person, both as a human being and in his approach to acting," said the filmmaker. Miller told how Hemsworth's personal experience, whose parents were social workers who did pioneering work with abused children, influenced his interpretation. "He saw the work his parents did and has a lot of wisdom about it for someone who is relatively young. That was reflected in his work," he explained. With early positive reviews highlighting the spectacular, 'Furiosa' allowed the Australian filmmaker to use tools that were not available when he made the other Mad Max films. But Miller stressed that it is always the story and not the technology that drives the film -- where no one defies the laws of physics. "There are no humans or cars flying. Everything is real," he stressed. What continues to attract him to cinema -- George Miller first trained in medicine -- is telling stories where people deal with extreme worlds and where there is conflict.  "What happens when there is conflict in stories is that it reveals the essence of the characters and the world. That's why storytelling continues to excite me," he said.  'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' was written by George Miller and Nico Lathouris. The cast also includes Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme, John Howard and Jacob Tomuri.  This is the fifth Mad Max film, whose saga began in 1979. All were written and directed by George Miller.  Read Also: Sétima edição do projeto social 'Uma Imagem Solidária' realiza-se hoje (Portuguese version)