North Country (2005)

Directed by: Niki Caro | 126 minutes | drama | Actors: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, Michelle Monaghan, Jeremy Renner, Richard Jenkins, Elle Peterson, Thomas Curtis, James Cada, Rusty Schwimmer, Linda Emond, Brad William Henke, Jillian Armenante, Amber Heard John Aylward, Xander Berkeley, Corey Stoll, Cole Williams, Bryan Fagerstrom, Chris Mulkey, Arron Shiver

In this American debut by director Niki Caro (‘Whale Rider’), Charlize Theron plays a single mother of two children. When she flees her abusive husband with her adolescent son and sweet daughter, she seeks shelter with her parents. Her father (a beautiful role by Richard Jenkins) asks her if her husband gave her a black eye because she had cheated on her. According to her mother (Sissy Spacek), he abused her because he is unemployed. The tone is set, Josey will have a lot to endure in this story…

Despite the fact that the theme – an oppressed minority stands up for its interests, fights against the majority and conquers – has been developed in the same way in several films (‘Norma Rae’, ‘Erin Brockovich’), it is Niki Caro managed to put down a strong drama with a lot of feeling for the characters. The viewer gradually gets to know the main character Josey Aimes. You almost physically feel the humiliation she has to endure. Charlize Theron’s acting skills are certainly to blame for this.

Because she can barely make ends meet with the money she earns as a hairdresser, let alone provide shelter for herself and her two children, the job at the mine where her father also works sounds very attractive. Josey meets an old acquaintance at the hair salon, Glory (superlative role by Frances McDormand), who also works there, and who tells her that she can earn six (!) times as much. Josey takes her chance, works at the mine and moves in with her two kids with Glory and her husband Kyle (Sean Bean). Glory advises her to grow an elephant skin for the comments her male colleagues will make, but the internal examination Josey must undergo to determine whether she is indeed not pregnant, does not feel normal to Josey. If the chef also makes a comment about it at the first meeting, you start to wonder what kind of hell she ended up in.

And one hell, that’s it. Although a mine is not a pleasant workplace anyway, Josey and her female colleagues also have to hear sexual insults, they are groped all the time and the feces-stained walls of the women’s changing room have to be cleaned by themselves too. Then Josey has to contend with her teenage son Sammy, who seems to believe the insults his mother is getting. The climax comes at the ice hockey game, where the wife of Josey’s foreman, Bobby Sharp, a former classmate of hers, accuses her of seducing her husband, when of course it’s the other way around. Josey freaks out when Sammy lashes out at her and the whole village is onlooker.

A positive outcome to the hockey game, however, is her introduction to Bill White, a friend of Glory and Kyle (Woody Harrelson). He is a former ice hockey star, now a lawyer. Three guesses who Josey turns to when she decides to sue her employer… Once in court, things don’t look good for Josey, her sexual past is brought into play, and the chance to find two other female colleagues who dare to saying Josey is telling the truth is minimal. Glory gets amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and needs all her energy to process this, without being able to help her friend in her fight. Sherry (Michelle Monaghan) is also afraid of losing her job if she had her say in court.

Because the film is inspired by a real court case, the outcome is clear. But the road to it has certainly not become a clichéd and predictable story. ‘North Country’ has some surprises in store for the viewer. The strong cast and their interplay are a sight to behold, culminating in the scene where Josey’s father finally chooses a side. Chris Menges, cinematographer, also deserves credit for his work on ‘North Country’. The images of the mines are really beautiful.

‘North Country’ is not a popcorn movie in the sense that it is pure entertainment. However, it is a captivating film that will hold the viewer’s attention. The movie will stay in your head for a long time.