Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeNorth Country on the map
October 31, 2005 —
North Country is about the cruelties of sexual abuses and gender inequality, and the importance of taking a stand for what is right and the courage it takes to do so. It offers a portrayal of the way things used to be regarding the treatment of women in the workplace (and the way things still are, albeit to a lesser extent), as well as truths that are timeless.
Charlize Theron plays Josie Aimes, a mother of two whom, at the start of the film, is leaving her abusive husband. Out of a job as a result of her departure, she moves in temporarily with her parents. Through a conversation with her friend Glory (Frances McDormand), she learns that the local mine hires women, and pays well. Josie decides to try working there, despite her father's rather rude disapproval. He works at the same mine himself.
Glory tells Josie that the men at the mine don't take kindly to women working there, and Josie feels that she can deal with that. However, she doesn't realize until she starts the job just how bad it is. The men there are sickeningly abusive to the women. The female workers are subject to sexual harassment and other forms of humiliation, including some heinous crimes involving fecal matter. Most of the women simply tough it out, but Josie eventually comes to the conclusion that such victimizing cannot be tolerated, and decides to do something about it.
For the most part, the movie handles the male harassers well, not giving in to the temptation to make them simply villains or caricatures. Instead, they seem like real people. And of course not every man working there treats the women that way. Most simply keep quiet about it, not helping the abusive men or the women. Josie's father, for example, does not condone the abuse, but feels that the women are asking for it, because the women are taking their jobs.
What the movie does so exceedingly well is show how difficult it can be to stand up for what is right. We see glimpses of men who would like to stand up for the women, people who know what's happening is wrong, but lack the conviction and the courage to stand up against it, simply because none of their peers have. It also shows how small communities, such as the workplace in the mine, can become twisted places, where a few tyrants are able to do as they please.
There are some excellent performances to support the movie, most notably from Theron, Richard Jenkins as her father, and Sean Bean and Frances McDormand. Much has been made of Theron's performance in North Country, but it does not approach the depth of her role in Monster. Nonetheless, expect to see some nominations coming out of this movie.
The only real faults to the movie are some over the top and unrealistic courtroom scenes, which come as a surprise after the stark and realistic portrayal of the rest of the events in the film. These faults, however, are not nearly enough to prevent North Country from being an excellent movie that gives some valuable and inspirational lessons.