North Country [DVD] [2005]

Looking for ways to support herself and her children and eager to earn some "real" money, Josie is talked into getting a job at the local mine by her friend Glory (Frances McDormand). The owners have only reluctantly begun hiring women and Josie is warned that the work will be hard, and that the men will most likely resent her, the majority of them firmly believing that women don't belong on the job.

Josie is appalled by the horrors and sexual harassment that her and her fellow coworkers must endure. Strong willed and defiant, Josie does all she can to stand up to the men, but she soon discovers that no one is willing to join her in any sort of organized protest. And when she goes to the head of the company to make her complaints known, she finds out that this misogynistic mentality comes straight from the top.

Feeling she has no other options, Josie eventually begins considering legal action against the company, and enlists the help of lawyer Bill White (Woody Harrelson), as she attempts to stand up for her right to work and make a living on equal terms with the men.

North Country is a rousing, earnest film; and is most notable, not just for Ms. Theron's gritty and nuanced performance, but also for the victorious and contentious subject matter. It's impossible not to get caught up in Josie's plight and really feel for her as she and the other women are forced to keep quiet as the men demean, mock and intimidate them by painting sexual slogans on walls and "feeling them up" any chance they can get.

Niki Caro's direction is strong and candid and Michael Seitzman's screenplay is naturalistic, bringing to life the world of blue collar mine workers. The first half of the film certainly does a good job of setting up the environment as Josie enters the mines and showing how daunting it all feels and how strong she must be from the get go.

It's just a pity that the film begins to fall apart in the second act. Several subplots are introduced which do nothing to advance the movie's main agenda; consequently as Josie begins her lawsuit, the movie begins to feel increasingly strained, obvious and heavy-handed. North Country also suffers from being a little too long, and the film would probably have benefited from some sharper editing. Lets face it; we get enough overview shots of the mines to get the idea that they're pretty dirty and dismal places to work.

Still, this is a good film about the efforts of a common and working class woman who must go to extraordinary lengths to fight back in a male dominated system. This is also one of Charlize Theron's best films, and while the supporting players are all outstanding, it is her resolute performance, which really holds this film together. She's utterly convincing as Josie, a woman who just wants to make an honest living.

Theron manages to convey a quiet resolve, even in the courtroom scenes in which her character doesn't speak that much. Josie is a woman who's been blindsided by certain events in her life; she never wanted to go too such lengths to stand up for herself, but when the crunch comes, she is not willing not hold anything back. And her victory is indeed an ultimate victory for all women. Mike Leonard March 06.