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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
North Country
By Craig Younkin Published October 22, 2005
US Release: October 21, 2005
Directed by: Niki Caro
Starring: Brad Henke , Frances McDormand , Jeremy Renner , Sissy Spacek
R
Running Time: 123 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $18,324,242
Directed by: Niki Caro
Starring: Brad Henke , Frances McDormand , Jeremy Renner , Sissy Spacek
R
Running Time: 123 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $18,324,242
B+
We know what kind of movie this will be but at the same time can't help but be taken in by its elements of respect, unity, and standing against injustice.
"North Country" is a female empowerment film that, like "Erin Brockovich" and "Norma Rae,? is so right-on that it becomes an empowerment film for everybody. There has not been a movie this year more thought provoking, inspiring, and emotionally resonating. We are left in shock and tears as it elicits such strong emotions of rage, disgust, and sadness. This movie offers us the harsh reality of going to work everyday having to fear for your safety, and think that some disgusting and derogatory thing awaits you on your trip back to the locker room. This is not a movie that hates men, but one that shows the sickening and insensitive side of them that comes out when forced to make sacrifices. This is also not just a movie about cruelty but a movie with themes that every person, male or female, should identify with. It ranks as the year's most powerful film.
It?s based on a real-life class action case that changed the tides for women in the workplace. What this movie does so well is show how important that case really was to the female rights movement. There is so much here that no human being should ever have to go through. Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) is a young, Minnesota mother of two stuck in a poor marriage. Her husband is an alcoholic with no job who likes to beat her on a regular basis. One day he beats her so hard that she finally decides to pack up the kids and leave him. She moves back into her parents? house, who shockingly enough take her husband's side. Her mother (Sissy Spacek) is very much in the old frame of mind of "stand by your man, no matter what." Her father (Richard Jenkins) is even less favorable towards Josey, an opinion formed early on in her life by the many sex partners she frequented with. The first thing he asks when Josey comes home is "did he beat you cause he found you with another man?"
Josey is determined to start over and make a good life for her children. The best place to start her best friend Glory (France McDormand) tells her would be the Pierson mine, known as the bread and butter of the small Minnesota town. It's the farthest thing from an easy place to work, however. We are told in the beginning of the film that in 1989, mines in Minnesota were outnumbered 30-1 by male workers. The president has closed most of the mines, leading to many male miners losing their jobs. The last thing anyone wants to see while these guys are getting laid off is women taking their place.
She is one of several women who works in the mine, and who are constantly harassed by male employees. A list of unspeakable things follows. They are called degrading names, which in turn are written with feces on the walls of the women's locker room. Even management is in on it as Josey is asked to submit to a gynecological exam before she goes to work for them. Finally Josey is pushed to the breaking point when she is attacked by one of the employees. She goes to Bill White (Woody Harrelson), a lawyer and former Minnesota hockey hero for help in winning the first ever sexual harassment class action case.
"North Country" is the sort of movie Hollywood dreams about. At its center it has a sympathetic character forced into a ringer at almost every turn. Her family doesn't want her working the mine because it makes her look like a lesbian. The men don't want her there and so make her life a living hell. The women don't want her complaining because they all may lose their jobs, or worse, bring on even worse harassment. And a dirty rumor is spread that she is the one harassing the men, which creates a very uncomfortable moment for her at her son's hockey game. She stands alone, and the odds of forcing change are heavily against her.
Director Nikki Caro leaves a cold and disheartening tone on the film. She wants us to pity the main character with an emphasis on the deplorable and sickening cruelty. But the men in this movie don't use cruelty to mask evil; they use it to mask fear. The brotherhood that exists between male miners is evident here, even though Caro doesn't spend a lot of time on the subject. In this way, she doesn't make them out to be monsters, but she does ask us to look upon them with shame.
Nonetheless we know what kind of movie this will be but at the same time can't help but be taken in by its elements of respect, unity, and standing against injustice. As played by Charlize Theron, Josey is a brave and dedicated mother, so concerned with giving her children food, shelter, and a life that she is willing to risk her own dignity for them. "North Country's" message is that change will never come without a group response. One person can't make a difference, but she can inspire. And by the time the big grandstanding finale finally comes in the courtroom, it doesn't feel cheesy at all. It feels like it needs to be there because by that time we have been thoroughly moved by the courage on display.
It?s based on a real-life class action case that changed the tides for women in the workplace. What this movie does so well is show how important that case really was to the female rights movement. There is so much here that no human being should ever have to go through. Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) is a young, Minnesota mother of two stuck in a poor marriage. Her husband is an alcoholic with no job who likes to beat her on a regular basis. One day he beats her so hard that she finally decides to pack up the kids and leave him. She moves back into her parents? house, who shockingly enough take her husband's side. Her mother (Sissy Spacek) is very much in the old frame of mind of "stand by your man, no matter what." Her father (Richard Jenkins) is even less favorable towards Josey, an opinion formed early on in her life by the many sex partners she frequented with. The first thing he asks when Josey comes home is "did he beat you cause he found you with another man?"
Josey is determined to start over and make a good life for her children. The best place to start her best friend Glory (France McDormand) tells her would be the Pierson mine, known as the bread and butter of the small Minnesota town. It's the farthest thing from an easy place to work, however. We are told in the beginning of the film that in 1989, mines in Minnesota were outnumbered 30-1 by male workers. The president has closed most of the mines, leading to many male miners losing their jobs. The last thing anyone wants to see while these guys are getting laid off is women taking their place.
She is one of several women who works in the mine, and who are constantly harassed by male employees. A list of unspeakable things follows. They are called degrading names, which in turn are written with feces on the walls of the women's locker room. Even management is in on it as Josey is asked to submit to a gynecological exam before she goes to work for them. Finally Josey is pushed to the breaking point when she is attacked by one of the employees. She goes to Bill White (Woody Harrelson), a lawyer and former Minnesota hockey hero for help in winning the first ever sexual harassment class action case.
"North Country" is the sort of movie Hollywood dreams about. At its center it has a sympathetic character forced into a ringer at almost every turn. Her family doesn't want her working the mine because it makes her look like a lesbian. The men don't want her there and so make her life a living hell. The women don't want her complaining because they all may lose their jobs, or worse, bring on even worse harassment. And a dirty rumor is spread that she is the one harassing the men, which creates a very uncomfortable moment for her at her son's hockey game. She stands alone, and the odds of forcing change are heavily against her.
Director Nikki Caro leaves a cold and disheartening tone on the film. She wants us to pity the main character with an emphasis on the deplorable and sickening cruelty. But the men in this movie don't use cruelty to mask evil; they use it to mask fear. The brotherhood that exists between male miners is evident here, even though Caro doesn't spend a lot of time on the subject. In this way, she doesn't make them out to be monsters, but she does ask us to look upon them with shame.
Nonetheless we know what kind of movie this will be but at the same time can't help but be taken in by its elements of respect, unity, and standing against injustice. As played by Charlize Theron, Josey is a brave and dedicated mother, so concerned with giving her children food, shelter, and a life that she is willing to risk her own dignity for them. "North Country's" message is that change will never come without a group response. One person can't make a difference, but she can inspire. And by the time the big grandstanding finale finally comes in the courtroom, it doesn't feel cheesy at all. It feels like it needs to be there because by that time we have been thoroughly moved by the courage on display.
Craig's Grade: B+
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
