Emotions surge in award calibre ‘North Country’
After her historic portrayal as a barbaric serial killer in “Monster,” Charlize Theron personifies another comparatively unglamorous role in “North Country.” Directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”), this film is an emotional journey about overcoming daunting challenges and perseverance in standing up for what’s morally right, even if it means standing alone.
Theron plays the central figure in a fictionalized account of the first sexual harassment class-action lawsuit in the United States. She is surrounded by a cast of incredible supporting actors who are all bound for Oscar nominations, including Sissy Spacek (“The Ring Two”) as Theron’s devoted mother and Frances McDormand (“Laurel Canyon”) as a thick-skinned miner. But the most shining performance of all is by Richard Jenkins (“Intolerable Cruelty”), playing Theron’s stubborn father who displays compelling layers of sensitivity.
Josey Aimes is a humble mother of two, played with noticeable fervor by Theron, who flees her abusive husband to live with her parents in northern Minnesota. Your heart bleeds for Josey as she tries to move past her mistakes from an irresponsible youth and put her life together as a mature, blue-collar adult. To get a steady income, Josey takes a job at the local iron mine where we see her lumbering around in butch coveralls and a dirt-smeared face, doing her best to keep up with the dominant men. “Women should not be doing a man’s job,” they say, and the various female employees suffer silently through the men’s thoughtless persecution.
This film is not for the light hearted. It wastes no time in showing an unashamed string of events where Theron, as well as other women, suffer sexual harassment and physical abuse. There is no sexual content or nudity in the film, but there are many scenes of sexual innuendo that are so blatant you can’t help but feel violated yourself. Josey Aimes is the first woman at this mine company who attempts to defend her rights. She gradually enlists the help of a lawyer friend played with great mediocrity by Woody Harrelson (“After the Sunset”) and the drama only increases further as the David and Goliath lawsuit proceeds.
Because there are so many horrible events in this film, it is not exactly inspirational. Everything culminates toward the end and the harassment and family relations are all so aggravating that it leaves you emotionally exhausted, perhaps what these women must have felt like while enduring such mistreatment.
The film tries to balance the realism of the story with the emotional drama, which is probably why the writing is somewhat clunky and out of place. In a few scenes, the dialogue sounds like it’s trying too hard to be eloquent and it makes certain actors look uncomfortable as a result. But the interweaving of plotlines through clean editing, along with the genuine acting, keeps “North Country” a riveting story that will be impossible to forget.
Casey T. Allen is a movie critic for the Utah
Statesman. Comments can be sent to
caseyal@cc.usu.edu.