Movie Review: North Country

North Country

I'm from a small town in northern Minnesota myself, not so very far from the iron range where North Country is set. The exteriors, most of which were filmed on location, were exactly as I remember the landscape and the huge open pit mines on a family trip through the area one long ago summer. So for me, North Country was perhaps all the more fully realized in that so much — including that distinctive Minnesota accent — seemed so familiar.

The mining industry was far and above the largest employer in the area back in the 1980's. It was during that timeframe that pretty Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) returned to the area with her two children after leaving an abusive husband. With no money and nowhere else to go, she temporarily moves in with her parents, the long suffering Alice (Sissy Spacek) and the taciturn and disapproving Hank (Richard Jenkins) who, like so many others, works for a mining concern.

Josey, whatever else her father might think of her, is no freeloader. She promptly gets a job at a local beauty salon. When she runs into an old friend there, she learns she could make a lot more money if she worked in the mines. Glory (Frances McDormond) encourages Josey to join her there, but warns her in no uncertain terms that the job is a tough one both by virtue of the physical labor as well as thanks to the men who don't want the women there. Josey's father is himself far from enthusiastic about the idea, accusing her of being a lesbian in addition to her many other faults.

The money is too tempting to disregard, so Josey applies for and gets a job in the mines. From the very first, she learns that the hazing she expected from the men is far worse than that. She must deal with filth and obscenity on a constant basis, though she manages for awhile with good humor. And the money enables her to leave her parents' home and provide for her children. Glory and her husband Kyle (Sean Bean) are good friends to Josey; they even attempt some match making when Bill White (Woody Harrelson), a lawyer friend, returns to the area. Life should be good, or at least better than it's been for Josey in the past.

But the harassment at work becomes more than Josey can bear and, despite the unwillingness of the other women at the mines to stand with her, she takes her complaints to the very top. It's then that she learns just how bad things can really get. In the end, Josey believes she has no other option but to take on the company in court. Even Bill, however, won't take her case unless she's able to get some other women to corroborate her complaints. After all, says Bill, no one has ever attempted a class action sexual harassment lawsuit, and that's the only way he'll consider taking it on. It's an uphill battle for Bill and Josey, and it's made even worse by the fact that Josey has no friends and any number of vocal enemies who will refuse her, actively harass her, and even lie about her to stop her crusade to do what's right.

North Country is based on a true story, though none of the characters here depict real people per se. That being said, the movie does seem entirely real and that's due primarily to two things: Charlize Theron is probably going to find herself nominated for another Oscar™ for her portrayal of the desperate single mother, and the cinematographer used lighting techniques (described in some detail on the movie web site) that make the film seem more a documentary than a feature presentation. Further, the gritty realism of the sets contributes as does some rock solid acting from primary supporting cast members McDormond, Bean, Spacek, and Jenkins.

Thankfully for such a compelling story, those factors more than overcome a relatively weak script and lackluster direction. In several instances, events seemed to fast forward at a breakneck and improbable pace; others seemed consolidated into single scenes where at least several were warranted or even required. Some courtroom antics, while amusing, were so unreal as to be jarring; some actions, with virtually nothing to support them, seemed to come out of the blue and to make little sense as a result. A better script would have remedied these things; a better director would have demanded a better script.

It's testament, though, to the acting and to the story itself, however, that this movie still rates as well as it does and that I'd still recommend it. It's a moving portrayal of a very real and pivotal time in recent history, and it's done in such a way that we can all be there for the pain that gave an important precedent birth.

POLITICAL NOTES: I'm not a big fan of those women who claim sexual harassment. In my experience, most of those claims are the result of over-sensitive political correctness or just plain bitchiness (I've spent much of my career in male-dominated industries, and have known all too well some of these women). But the harassment depicted in North Country is the genuine and wholly reprehensible deal, and those employers who permit or even turn a blind eye to such behavior deserve the punitive actions that are coming their way (and frankly, those employees who are guilty ought to be jailed long enough to experience a little sexual harassment of their own). Fortunately, a few women in the iron mines of northern Minnesota have seen to it that such things are no longer tolerated and that punishment is forthcoming for most who engage in them.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: North Country is rated R for "sequences involving sexual harassment including violence and language, and for language." The sexual harassment is, as I said, the real deal. It's crass at best, and genuinely obscene or terrifyingly violent in a few instances. The language isn't anything most older teens haven't heard, though, and I think it's important that girls see what real sexual harassment is, and that boys learn just how terrible — for everyone — engaging in such harassment can be. That's why I'd recommend parents take their mature teens of about 14 and up to see the film and then discuss it afterwards (yes, I know how much the kids will love it if you do that, but suffering is good for the soul). For adults, North Country is impressive even without the life lessons, at least when it comes to an inspirational story or top level acting. Either way, it's well worth the price of the ticket.