Overall Rating: *****
North Country @ IMDB
Synopsis:
A single mom, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron), moves back home to Minsesota to be close to her parents and escape her abusive ex. To support her two children, Josey takes a job at the local iron mine, forced to hire women by affirmative action. But as soon as her job begins, she realizes that she just can’t go to work like the men of mine. Constant abuse and harrasments leads her to file the first class action sexual harrasment lawsuit in history. This is a fictional retelling of the real life crusade of Lois Jenson, who fought and won against Eveleth Mines in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Review:
When I rented this movie, I thought it was a true story. I was a little surprised to learn that it was actually a fictionalization (if that’s a word) of a true story. To be honest, I rented it because I couldn’t find anything I really wanted to see. I new it had some Oscar nominations so I figured, what the heck. I’m happy that I did pick it. It was definitely a good movie.
The story is kind of difficult to watch, because so many bad things happen to a woman who’s just trying to support her family. I was concerned when I picked this DVD up that it would be a “man-hating” film. Sometimes, its easier to make everyone a bad guy than it is to explain that there were a few good men. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t what I expected. There are several male characters who show a lot of integrity, Kyle (Sean Bean) being a good example. We also see Josey’s father (Richard Jenkins) see the ignorance of his anger and find his love for his daughter.
I can definitely see why Charlize Theron was nominated for an Oscar with this role, and why she won for Monster in 2003 (though I never saw it). I thought Reese Witherspoon gave a career best performance in Walk the Line, but I definitely think Charlize gave a more powerful performance in this film. I am disappointed the she didn’t win. Sean Bean was pretty good too, even if his accent was difficult to hide. Frances McDormand also gave an Oscar worthy performance as Glory. Again, Rachel Wiesz did an excellent job in The Constant Gardner, but McDormand was just more moving.
Overall, I highly recommend this movie. Its definitely worth a rental. If you are a true film collector, this is worth a purchase. For the everyday DVD collection though, this just doesn’t have much replay value. Its a film that deals with tough issues: sexual harrassment, rape, domestic violence, and terminal illness. This is not a movie for kids and not one that most people could watch twice. Check it out, you won’t regret it.