Josey Aimes, the beautiful young woman at the center of this story, has been betrayed by almost everyone in her short life. As we meet her, she is abandoning a situation that has turned bad in the home she shares with an abusive man. She packs whatever she can and her two kids, heading north to the home of her parents; she is trying to put her life on track. Josey's father still bears a grudge against his daughter because the unwanted pregnancy of the girl, who never revealed who was the man responsible for a child she decided to have.
Instead of finding a nice environment when she applies, and is accepted, working at the coal mine in Northern Minnesota, Josey becomes the one where all the men loved to pick on. The miners resent the intrusion of women in what has been a male dominated work place up to 1975, when women were allowed in the mines. Her former friend, Bobby Sharp, seems to be the ring leader who makes her life a living hell. Complaining to the president of the mine, only gets Josey deeper in trouble as the chauvinist owner tells her point blank he has no time for her accusations about what's really going on.
At the same time, all the other women in the mine, who are also ridiculed by the male workers, turn against Josey. They don't want to lose jobs that pay well, and even though they are also ridiculed by the macho men, they tolerate the situation and don't want to make waves. When Josey feels she has had enough, she quits the job that she needs badly. Glory, her best friend and ally, comes down with a rare liver disease, so there is no help from her. When Josey has tried everything, she goes to Bill White, a lawyer, hoping he would be able to help her sue the mine and get her job back.
Josey and Bill have to deal with a formidable opponent, as Mr. Pearson, the owner, has a lot of money and powerful friends and lawyers to deal with problems. The judge, who is hearing the proposal tells Bill and Josey he will consider a class action suit if at least three persons come forward, something that seems almost impossible when they start the arguments. Josey and Bill persevere against all odds to prove their case which result in a monumental defeat for the mine, clearly taking Josey's position.
During the trial, the defense introduces a witness, one of Josey's high school teachers, as a character witness. This, in turn, triggers a chain of events that no one expected. Also, Bill White questions Bobby Sharp about his role in a school incident in which he didn't come to Josey's help when the girl badly needed it.
Niki Caro, whose previous film we had greatly admired, seemed to us the wrong choice for directing "North Country". We just couldn't imagine she would be able to pull it off, working in another environment and a situation that probably presented a challenge to the way she worked. In spite of all that, Ms. Caro succeeded with this movie that even though it recalls other films about female sexual harassment that came before. Ms. Caro's film is made even better by the cinematographer Chris Menges, who is one of the best men working today. The music of Gustavo Santaolalla, plus the atmospheric popular songs in the film, work well in the context. The screen play by Michael Seitzman is based on the novel that chronicled a real case that serves as the model for "North Country".
Charlize Theron appears to love to take chances. Ms. Theron, a beautiful and sophisticated woman, doesn't mind changing some of the couture clothes she wears to transform herself as this working class woman. She gives an honest performance as Josey. Frances McDormand, who plays Glory, is only seen during the first half of the film. Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Renner, Linda Edmond, Thomas Curtis, Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins, among the large cast, are seen in supporting roles.
Judging by some of the comments submitted to IMDb, it appears there are some people who must have hated this film. Frankly, while "North Country" could have used stronger material, especially in the court proceedings, it is an engaging movie that will satisfy its audience.
Instead of finding a nice environment when she applies, and is accepted, working at the coal mine in Northern Minnesota, Josey becomes the one where all the men loved to pick on. The miners resent the intrusion of women in what has been a male dominated work place up to 1975, when women were allowed in the mines. Her former friend, Bobby Sharp, seems to be the ring leader who makes her life a living hell. Complaining to the president of the mine, only gets Josey deeper in trouble as the chauvinist owner tells her point blank he has no time for her accusations about what's really going on.
At the same time, all the other women in the mine, who are also ridiculed by the male workers, turn against Josey. They don't want to lose jobs that pay well, and even though they are also ridiculed by the macho men, they tolerate the situation and don't want to make waves. When Josey feels she has had enough, she quits the job that she needs badly. Glory, her best friend and ally, comes down with a rare liver disease, so there is no help from her. When Josey has tried everything, she goes to Bill White, a lawyer, hoping he would be able to help her sue the mine and get her job back.
Josey and Bill have to deal with a formidable opponent, as Mr. Pearson, the owner, has a lot of money and powerful friends and lawyers to deal with problems. The judge, who is hearing the proposal tells Bill and Josey he will consider a class action suit if at least three persons come forward, something that seems almost impossible when they start the arguments. Josey and Bill persevere against all odds to prove their case which result in a monumental defeat for the mine, clearly taking Josey's position.
During the trial, the defense introduces a witness, one of Josey's high school teachers, as a character witness. This, in turn, triggers a chain of events that no one expected. Also, Bill White questions Bobby Sharp about his role in a school incident in which he didn't come to Josey's help when the girl badly needed it.
Niki Caro, whose previous film we had greatly admired, seemed to us the wrong choice for directing "North Country". We just couldn't imagine she would be able to pull it off, working in another environment and a situation that probably presented a challenge to the way she worked. In spite of all that, Ms. Caro succeeded with this movie that even though it recalls other films about female sexual harassment that came before. Ms. Caro's film is made even better by the cinematographer Chris Menges, who is one of the best men working today. The music of Gustavo Santaolalla, plus the atmospheric popular songs in the film, work well in the context. The screen play by Michael Seitzman is based on the novel that chronicled a real case that serves as the model for "North Country".
Charlize Theron appears to love to take chances. Ms. Theron, a beautiful and sophisticated woman, doesn't mind changing some of the couture clothes she wears to transform herself as this working class woman. She gives an honest performance as Josey. Frances McDormand, who plays Glory, is only seen during the first half of the film. Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Renner, Linda Edmond, Thomas Curtis, Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins, among the large cast, are seen in supporting roles.
Judging by some of the comments submitted to IMDb, it appears there are some people who must have hated this film. Frankly, while "North Country" could have used stronger material, especially in the court proceedings, it is an engaging movie that will satisfy its audience.