North Country (film)
North Country
Original poster
Directed by
Niki Caro
Produced by
Nick Wechsler
Written by
Michael Seitzman
Based on
Class Action by
Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler
Charlize Theron
Frances McDormand
Richard Jenkins
Starring
Sissy Spacek
Woody Harrelson
Sean Bean
Michelle Monaghan
Jeremy Renner
Music by
Gustavo Santaolalla
Running time 126 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
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North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro. The screenplay by Michael
Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark
Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which
chronicled the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company.
Plot
When Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) returns to her frigid hometown in Northern Minnesota in
1989, after leaving her abusive husband, she needs a good job. A single mother with two children to
support, she turns to the predominant source of employment in the region – the iron mines.
The mines pay more than any other job in the area. They also provide a livelihood that has sustained
a community for generations. The work is hard but the pay is good and friendships that form on the
job extend into everyday life, bonding families and neighborhoods with a common thread.
It’s an industry long dominated by men, in a place unaccustomed to change.
Encouraged by her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), one of the few female miners in town,
Josey joins the ranks of those laboring to blast ore from rock in the gaping quarries. She is prepared
for the back-breaking and often dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other
female miners encounter from their male coworkers proves far more challenging. This includes
verbal and physical abuse, and sexual harassment. The boss couldn't care less and tells her to take it
like a man.
Times are tough. The last thing the miners want is women competing for scarce jobs – women who,
in their eyes, have no business driving trucks and hauling rock anyway. If these newcomers want to
work the mines they’ll have to do it on the terms set by the veteran workforce and it won’t be easy.
Take it or leave it.
When Josey speaks out against the treatment she and her fellow workers face she is met with
resistance – not only from those in power but from a community that doesn’t want to hear the truth,
her disapproving parents and many of her own colleagues who fear she is only making things
worse. They fear this could shut down the mine and unemploy hundreds of people. They also say if
she doesn't like it to resign, and that there are jobs for men and for women. In time, even her
friendship with Glory will be tested, her already difficult connection with her father, a lifelong
miner, will be pushed to its limit and elements of her personal life exposed to scrutiny. The fallout
from Josey’s battle to make a better future for herself and her children will affect every aspect of
her life, including her relationship with her young daughter and her sensitive teenage son, who must
first cope with the embarrassment of his mother’s sudden notoriety and then face harsh details of
her past she was hoping he would never have to know.
Through these struggles Josey will find the courage to stand up for what she believes in – even if
that means standing alone.
Production notes
Lois Jenson, on whom the character of Josey is based, actually began working at the EVTAC mine
in Eveleth, Minnesota in 1975 and initiated her lawsuit in 1984, four years before the year in which
the film begins. Its time line was condensed, but in reality it took fourteen years for the case to be
settled. Jenson declined to sell the rights to her story or act as the film's consultant.[1]
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The film was shot in in the towns of Eveleth, Virginia, and Chisholm in northern Minnesota;
Minneapolis; and Silver City and Santa Fe in New Mexico.
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was shown at the Chicago International Film
Festival before going into theatrical release in the US, where it grossed $6,422,455 in its opening
weekend, ranking 5th at the box office [2]. Budgeted at $30 million, it eventually grossed
$18,324,242 in the US and $5,300,000 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of
$23,624,242.[3]
Soundtrack
"North Country" by Gustavo Santaolalla – 2:08
"Girl Of The North Country" by Leo Kottke – 3:33
"Tell Ol' Bill" by Bob Dylan – 5:08
"Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon – 3:28
"Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes – 3:49
"If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)" by The Bellamy
Brothers – 3:17
7. "Lay Lady Lay" by Bob Dylan – 3:19
8. "A Saturday In My Classroom" by Gustavo Santaolalla – 3:46
9. "Sweetheart Like You" by Bob Dylan – 4:37
10. "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis – 3:05
11. "Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)" by Bob Dylan – 3:52
12. "Standing Up" by Gustavo Santaolalla – 2:43
13. "Paths Of Victory" by Cat Power – 3:24
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Songs in the movie that weren't in the soundtrack release include "Wasn't That a Party" by The Irish
Rovers, "Shake the House Down" by Molly Hatchet and karaoke versions of George Thorogood's "I
Drink Alone" and Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."
Principal cast
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Charlize Theron as Josey Aimes
Frances McDormand as Glory Dodge
Woody Harrelson as Bill White
Sissy Spacek as Alice Aimes
Richard Jenkins as Hank Aimes
Jeremy Renner as Bobby Sharp
Sean Bean as Kyle Dodge
Thomas Curtis as Sammy Aimes
Michelle Monaghan as Sherry
Rusty Schwimmer as Big Betty
Jillian Armenante as Peg
Linda Emond as Leslie Conlin
John Aylward as Judge Halsted
Amber Heard as Young Josey Aimes
Critical reception
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On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on
162 reviews [4]. On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 68 out of 100, based on 39 reviews
[5]
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Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called it "a star vehicle with heart - an old-fashioned liberal
weepie about truth and justice" and added, "[It] is one of those Hollywood entertainments that strive
to tell a hard, bitter story with as much uplift as possible. That the film works as well as it does,
delivering a tough first hour only to disintegrate like a wet newspaper, testifies to the skill of the
filmmakers as well as to the constraints brought on them by an industry that insists on slapping a
pretty bow on even the foulest truth." [6]
In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert observed, "North Country is one of those
movies that stir you up and make you mad, because it dramatizes practices you've heard about but
never really visualized. We remember that Frances McDormand played a woman police officer in
this same area in Fargo, and we value that memory, because it provides a foundation for Josey
Aimes. McDormand's role in this movie is different and much sadder, but brings the same pluck
and common sense to the screen. Put these two women together (as actors and characters) and they
can accomplish just about anything. Watching them do it is a great movie experience." [7]
Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film a "compelling if occasionally
unnecessarily convoluted movie . . . The first 15 minutes or so are a mess . . . Fortunately, [it] calms
down and becomes extremely engrossing, especially in the courtroom battles . . . it's all carefully
calculated for dramatic effect and succeeds brilliantly in drawing you in and eliciting tears in the
process . . . North Country would have benefited from crisper editing. It runs at least 15 minutes
longer than necessary . . . For all its flaws, [it] delivers an emotional wallop and a couple of
performances worthy of recognition come award time." [8]
In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers awarded the film two out of a possible four stars and commented,
"Any similarities between Josey and Lois Jenson, the real woman who made Eveleth Mines pay for
their sins in a landmark 1988 class-action suit, are purely soap-opera theatrics. The actors, director
Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and the great cinematographer Chris Menges all labor to make things look
authentic. But a crock is a crock, despite the ferocity and feeling Theron brings to the role . . .
Though the dirt and grime in North Country are artfully applied, it's purely cosmetic and skindeep." [9] However, in, "Stories from North Country," a documentary accompanying the film on the
DVD, Lori Jenson, on whom the story is based, said, "I think it's important for people to see this."
Regarding Charlize Theron, Jenson said, "She has the character. [...] She knew the part. She knew
what it needed--the depth she needed to go to. She's done a great job with it."
David Rooney of Variety said, "[It] indulges in movie-ish manipulation in its climactic courtroom
scenes. But it remains an emotionally potent story told with great dignity, to which women
especially will respond . . . The film represents a confident next step for lead Charlize Theron.
Though the challenges of following a career-redefining Oscar role have stymied actresses, Theron
segues from Monster to a performance in many ways more accomplished . . . The strength of both
the performance and character anchor the film firmly in the tradition of other dramas about
working-class women leading the fight over industrial workplace issues, such as Norma Rae or
Silkwood." [10]
In the St. Petersburg Times, Steve Persall graded the film A and called it "deeply, undeniably
moving . . . crusader cinema at its finest." [11]
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List of American films of 2005
Sexual harassment
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Hostile environment sexual harassment
Michelle Vinson v. Merit One Savings Bank
Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services
Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story
References
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^ "A victim rises up," St. Petersburg Times, October 20, 2005
^ North Country at BoxOfficeMojo.com
^ North Country at TheNumbers.com
^ North Country at Rotten Tomatoes.com
^ North Country at Metacritic.com
^ New York Times review
^ Chicago Sun-Times review
^ San Francisco Chronicle review
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Variety review
^ St. Petersburg Times review
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Country_(film)"
Taglines:
All She Wanted Was To Make A Living. Instead She Made History.
Motion Picture Rating
Rated R for sequences involving sexual harassment including violence and dialogue, and for
language.
Plot keywords for
North Country - Terra Fria
 Mine
 Miner
 Minnesota
 Sexual Harassment
 Lawsuit
 Class Action Lawsuit
 Self Respect
 Baby
 Sewing
 Father Daughter Relationship
 Financial Problem
 Applause
 Ice Skates
 Labor Union
 Tears
 Pregnancy
 Welfare
5
 Raped By Teacher
 Coffee Break
 Pool
 Snow
 Abusive Boyfriend
 Penis
 Butt Grab
 Homosexual
 Teacher Student Relationship
 Pickup Truck
 Spouse Abuse
 Rape
 Hate
 Dancing
 Love
 Working Woman
 Beautician
 Rural Setting
 Sexism
 Cowboy
 Teasing
 Blood
 Food
 Hangover
 First Communion
 Priest
 Crotch Grab
 Liar
 Football Field
 Football Stadium
 Drinking
 Doctor
 1990s
 Band
 Family Relationships
 Toilet
 Unwed Mother
 Losing One's Voice
 Grandfather Granddaughter Relationship
 Older Man Younger Woman Relationship
 Minnesota Vikings
 Strip Mining
 Darts
 Lunch Break
 Hospital
 Labor Union Meeting
6
 Watching TV
 Chalk Drawing
 Hard Hat
 Catholic Church
 Earth Mover
 Karaoke
 Flashback
 Bank Robbery
 Dining Hall
 Reference To Anita Hill
 Blow Job
 Police
 Money
 Lawyer
 Nurse
 Female Lawyer
 Mother Daughter Relationship
 Beauty Salon
 Restaurant
 Auto Mechanic
 Pool Cue
 Secret
 Dress
 Gay
 Alimony
 One Testicle
 Grandmother Granddaughter Relationship
 Mother Son Relationship
 Drink
 Beer
 1980s
 Portable Toilet
 Ménage À Trois
 Magnifying Glass
 Rape Of A Minor
 Wink
 Catholic
 Beautiful Woman
 Lie
 Ostracism
 Ice Hockey
 Working Class
 School Detention
 Bare Breasts
 Black Eye
 Vomit
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 Pet Cemetery
 Teenage Boy
 Hockey Stick
 Alarm
 Teenage Girl
 Butterfly
 Dildo
 Dart Board
 Based On A True Story
 Rapist
 Chili
 Lesbian
 Steel
 Flask
 American Football
 Misogyny
 Drunkenness
 Eyeglasses
 Ice Hockey Arena
 Covered In Feces
 Grandmother Grandson Relationship
 Iron The Mineral
 Lou Gehrigs Disease
 Cafe
 Church
 Polka
 Crying
 Repairing Wristwatch
 High School
 Male Chauvinism
 Husband Wife Relationship
 Male Female Relationship
 Iron Mine
 Christmas Tree
 Underwear
 Teen Drinking
 Divorce
 Wife Beater
 Rape Victim
 Law
 Illness
 Friend
 Dancer
 Explosion
 Working Mom
 Innocence
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 Motel
 Walkie Talkie
 Spray Paint
 Single Mother
 Filling Station
 Fellatio
 Flatulence
 Dying
 Coach
 1970s
 Machismo
 Kiss
 Mining
 Terminal Illness
 Learning To Drive
 Taconite
 Urination
 Employer Employee Relationship
 Mesabi Iron Range Minnesota
 Scratch 'n' Sniff Wallpaper
 Polka Band
 Flash Forward
 Molestation
 Friendship
 Arthritis
 Gas Station
 Walker
 Microphone
 Christmas
 Courtroom
 Semen
 Writing On A Wall With Feces
 Lunchbox
 Raised Middle Finger
 Toxic Waste
 Fight
 Truck Driver
 Grandfather Grandson Relationship
 Witness
 Gossip
 Cigarette Smoking
 Train
 Dead Deer
 Whore
 Locker Room
 Trampoline
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 Water Hose
 Small Town
 Court
 Wristwatch
Memorable quotes for
North Country - Terra Fria
Glory: [notices Josey's wedding ring] Married? Who's the lucky?
Josey Aimes: [looks distressed, licks her finger and starts to remove the ring]
Glory: Who's the unlucky?
Josey Aimes: Me, I s'pose.
Bill White: [looking at the copious amount of stuffed deer and elk head mounted on the walls of the bar]
What is this? A pet cemetery?
Kyle: You got a lot of pet elk in your house?
Arlen Pavich: The doctor says you look darn good under those clothes - sense of humor ladies, rulo numero
uno.
[reading on Glory's behalf]
Kyle: "My name is Glory Dodge and I'm not fucking dead yet. I stand with Josey."
Bill White: What are you supposed to do when the ones with all the power are hurting those with none? Well
for starters, you stand up. Stand up and tell the truth. You stand up for your friends. You stand up even when
you're all alone. You stand up.
Glory: [speaking by electrolarynx/stoma] Fuck you.
User Reviews
Feels familiar,VERY familiar,among other problems
5 March 2008 | by S.R. Dipaling (Topeka, Kansas, USA)
When divorced,single mom Josey Aimes(Charlize Theron,who's definitely NOT afraid to get
dirty or uglified for a role)begins work in the rural Minnesota Taconite mines--where her
father(Richard Jenkins)has worked a long,secure job--even she isn't prepared for the kind of
mental,verbal and physical abuse she and her fellow women receive from the fellow miners
who(surprise!)don't cotton well to ladies working in the pits with them. She soldiers on for a
number of years before she finally has had enough and decides--after being already ignored by
management when she complains--to quit and bring a class action suit against the
company,fully aware that she is almost alone in this pursuit,save the somewhat reluctant help
of a local lawyer and former hometown sports hero(Woody Harrelson).
I wavered on what rating to give this show for these reasons: the acting and visual direction of
this film IS,I must confess,quite good. Credit practically the entire cast for the former,and
director Niki Caro and cinematography of Chris Menges for the latter,but the overall tone of
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this movie is 1)very familiar stuff tot the point of reeking of "TV Movie" material,
2)manipulative by a mile, 3)hits on each emotional note--from the sort of "Girl POwer" quiet
assertions of the film's script to the overt nastiness displayed by nearly all of the males
working the mines--almost in a perfect cue; 4)the fictionalizing the stories,then mixing the
time-lines from the actual case the movie and the book it was based on (namely,Jenson v.
Eleveth Mines,filed in 1984,settled in 1998;whereas the film is set in 1989 and almost instantly
flips to Septemeber 1991,circa the Anita Hill/Clarence THomas hearings,with the events-tocase trial time relationship murky at best);and 5)the sort of "feel good" third act denouement
where the town,once boorishly stubborn against the idea of women working in the mines to
being stirred by Ms.Aimes' case. An extra storyline of Aimes being raped in school and thus
affecting,at least partly,her condition as being a troubled single mom who has a murky
knowledge(or lack thereof)of the paternity of her equally troubled son is probably the most
emotionally authentic storyline in this movie,but it feels mixed in for purely embellishment
sake in this story,thus calling into question just how much this movie truly represented the
true events being retold.
A famous saying says what good intentions pave the way to,but I think in this case good
intentions pave the construction of a film that is underwhelming and somewhat disappointing.
The story of the Eleveth mine workers and the discrimination case they eventually won
absolutely deserve3s being retold,but this movie seems to be only interested in invoking
it,then crafting an artificial story to frame it,as if for fear that audiences WOULDN'T get this
story in the raw. On it's own,this movie's story works enough to interest most viewers,myself
included, and the sincerity behind it is true I'm sure. But this film's over-familiarity and
manipulation dilute the potency of the message. More entertainment than enlightenment,it's
intentions are good but tough to take to heart. WAtch it for the performances,and one should
feel better about it,at least marginally.
Theron anchors the film with a complex performance that
balances Josey's strength and vulnerability, and successfully
portrays her as a reluctant working-class hero.
by Todd Jorgenson | Wednesday, Nov. 09 2005
Discuss Article
North Country Distributor: Warner Bros. Rated: R Running time: 127 minutes By Todd Jorgenson
Film Critic Charlize Theron is getting dirty and deglamorizing herself again – which won’t lend
itself much to celebrity photo spreads, but marks good news for moviegoers. When we last left this
version of Theron, she won an Oscar for her haunting portrayal of a real-life prostitute-turned serial
killer in Monster. Now she offers another powerful turn, also drawn from a true story, in North
Country, about a female miner who won the country’s first major class-action sexual harassment
case in 1984. The film takes place in the iron ore quarries of rural northern Minnesota, which at the
time supplied jobs for just about every man in the nearby towns. It also created problems when
women such as Josey (Theron), a young single mother of two needing to feed her family, began
jobs there. Josey, along with a handful of other female employees, are constantly harassed both
physically and verbally, to various degrees. She finds an ally in a respected female union rep
(Frances McDormand), but becomes ostracized whenever she threatens to blow the whistle to her
chauvinistic superiors. Eventually, she musters the courage to file a lawsuit and finds a semi-retired
attorney (Woody Harrelson) willing to handle the case. But instead of support, she only meets with
further abuse, even from her son and father, and from colleagues afraid of losing their own jobs.
The script by Michael Seitzman (Here on Earth) is a fictionalized account based on the book Class
Action: The Story of Lois Jensen and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law,
by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler. So the ending comes with little surprise. That’s the
challenge confronted by director Niki Caro (Whale Rider), who refrains from bogging the movie
down in conventional courtroom drama. Those sequences bookend the film, while the bulk of the
story is relayed through flashbacks. North Country excels in its detailed evocations of time and
place, with plentiful views of picturesque northern Minnesota landscapes, during both summer and
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winter. The attitudes, however, are more reflective of the era than the setting. Caro and Seitzman
don’t shortchange on the details. They show the iron ore mining process, and offer a realistic
glimpse into a town where hockey is the central form of recreation and where the mines provide the
overwhelming majority of jobs and commerce, extending to friendships that span generations. Some
of the individual roles are exaggerated, and many of the villains, in particular, are caricatures. But
the film conveys a strong sense of the camaraderie between union miners, their resistance to
change, and how that is tested with the introduction of women who are viewed both as sex objects
and as quotas. Theron anchors the film with a complex performance (recalling Sally Field in Norma
Rae) that balances Josey’s strength and vulnerability, and successfully portrays her as a reluctant
working-class hero. McDormand, who won an Oscar for playing a Minnesota cop in Fargo, revisits
her accent here to powerful effect. The rest of the cast is solid. Consistently compelling, North
Country turns too heavy-handed in the final hour, but it transcends its television movie-of-the-week
trappings by sidestepping easy sentimentality. Considering the subject matter, it’s a film that
thankfully comes off not as a cautionary tale, but as a history lesson.
NORTH COUNTRY
Review by Mark Dujsik
There are three levels to North Country: a courtroom melodrama, a workplace expose, and a
domestic study. The courtroom material is typical and has people acting in court in ways they
only do in movies. The details of the expose are disquieting although depicted in fairly
simplistic terms. Which leaves us with the domestic study, and it's on this level that Niki
Caro's otherwise conventional reality-based drama finds its greatest success. Unrelentingly
honest, the personal portrait of the woman at the center of this tale of the first successful
class-action sexual harassment law suit in the United States and how the events affect her
family are far more involving than the important social movement in which she becomes
entangled. The film hits its larger, more important notes with a predictable efficiency. As the
women of the Northern Minnesota iron mine encounter humiliation after humiliation at the
hands of some of their male co-workers, the movie manages to elicit a gut reaction of shock
and revulsion but not much beyond that. Whatever depth may be absent from this bigger
picture is well made up by the layers of emotional strain faced by the film's heroine and the
performance of Charlize Theron.
When we first see Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron), she is hiding her daughter Karen (Elle
Peterson) from her husband, who has just returned home in a rage. She awakens later,
bruised and beaten, and finally takes Karen and her son Sammy (Thomas Curtis) out of the
house and drives back home to Northern Minnesota. There, she takes up residence with her
father Hank (Richard Jenks) and mother Alice (Sissy Spacek) and reunites with Glory
(Frances McDormand), an old friend from high school. Glory works at the local iron mine,
where Josey's father has also been gainfully employed for as long as Josey can remember.
They have recently started to hire women, and the opportunity to start a new life with her
children on her own has finally presented itself. Hank is none too happy with his daughter's
decision, but she goes ahead anyway, as he has never really approved of her life since she was
in high school. The recent appearance of women in a predominately male-driven industry has
not gone over well with some of the employees, who neither have nor are willing to become
accustomed to the idea of the opposite sex working alongside them.
The abuse is fairly nonstop for the women of the mine. They must cope with vulgar verbal
innuendo and worse, disgusting "pranks" like having demeaning words painted in excrement
on their locker room walls or semen on their clothes, and, as the situation elevates, actual
physical attacks. Most of the women, like Glory, have learned to deal with—not condone—
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the earlier mentioned harassment and recognize that rocking the boat would more than likely
only make matters worse for them. For Josey, though, returning home after freeing herself
from an abusive husband and having to face more cruelty is simply too much. Adding insult
to injury, these people know her and, even worse, think they know her character. One of her
co-workers is an ex-boyfriend named Bobby (Jeremy Renner), who was with Josey when she
became pregnant with her son, and after Josey rejects his advances, he turns the story around
on her, sending his wife to confront Josey in the very public forum of Sammy's hockey game.
For a town in Northern Minnesota, she might as well have published her accusations in the
local newspaper, and with her reputation already tainted in the eyes of her neighbors for
having a child young and out-of-wedlock, the outburst is even more devastating.
Fortunately, there's a lawyer in town. His name is Bill White (Woody Harrelson), a former
hockey star of the town, who has just come home to regroup after a failed marriage. Josey
appeals for his services to bring a lawsuit against the mining company, and in flash-forwards
and later regular narrative, we see the proceedings of the case. The brief moments we see of
the case during Josey's plight at the mine help flesh out her character, but the later scenes
where the trial takes focus are merely the means to bring social relevance to the story. As is
such, we have the usual moments. White badgers one witness in a way that, while dramatic,
would never fly in any court, and later, in a moment that if it came earlier would sink the
film, a large group of people in the courtroom take the phrase "standing up for someone" too
literally. However, as the trial reveals Josey's troubled past, the film spends enough time
exploring how these revelations affect her relationships at home to make up for the more
familiar sections. Watching Hank slowly begin to side with his daughter is truly affecting,
and after Sammy's origins are made public in court, there's a wrenchingly honest scene
between mother and son on the back porch as she tries to explain who he is to her.
Theron has really come into her own as an actress over the past few years, slowly
disintegrating her image as just another pretty face, and her work North Country is quite
possibly her best. Here, she walks the line between the strength of taking on a system with
which hardly anyone sees a huge problem and the vulnerability of a woman who must face
everything that has piled up on her over the years head-on. She is the wounded heart of the
film and helps carry some of the less successful material of the film on her shoulders.
A victim rises up
North Country is a moving depiction of one woman's victory over sexual harassment. But
it's also a song for all who suffer from its devastating effects.
STEVE PERSALL
Published October 20, 2005
A lesser film than Niki Caro's North Country would use only two settings to tell its story: the mineral
mines where female workers are sexually harassed without mercy and the courtroom where they fight
the system allowing it happen. Then the movie would puff its chest and boast of its social importance.
Caro and screenwriter Michael Seitzman add a third setting, a collection of households where such sexist
persecution does its worst damage. North Country is about an important issue, but even more
importantly, about the people who suffer, rationalize or ignore the emotional and physical abuse that
sexual harassment causes. The results are deeply, undeniably moving.
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North Country is based on a book with a title that tips off the ending: Class Action: The Story of Lois
Jensen and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law. But the movie isn't as clinical or
nondescript as either title. This is crusader cinema at its finest, a story to enlighten anyone who hasn't
seriously considered the effects of sexual harassment, and perhaps soothe victims by showing someone
fighting back and winning.
That someone was Jensen, who in 1986 led a reluctant group of co-workers in a lawsuit against
employers who allowed such degradation to occur. The movie cheats a bit by suggesting it happened
almost concurrently with Anita Hill's claims of unwanted sexual advances by then-Supreme Court
nominee Clarence Thomas. In fact, the out of court settlement won by Jensen and her co-workers wasn't
finalized until 1999, nearly a decade after Hill's testimony. The wheels of justice turn slowly outside
Hollywood.
Jensen's name has been changed to Josey Aimes for the movie, and the time line condensed. She
declined to sell the rights to her story or act as the film's consultant. Yet nothing changes the gut-punch
impact of her abuse or the importance of her eventual triumph.
North Country is a working-class feminist morality tale eclipsing Norma Rae and Erin Brockovich in that
narrow category of filmmaking.
Academy Award winner Charlize Theron (Monster) plays Aimes and will be a solid contender for another
gold statuette. This isn't merely a beautiful actor getting grubby for a part. Theron's commitment to
getting this story right is clear, and Caro, whose Whale Rider dealt with gentler male oppression, is right
with her. Theron strikes that delicate balance between victim and avenger, avoiding the cliches of
overplaying either.
We meet Josey when she's escaping a wife beater with her two children, Sammy (Thomas Curtis) and
Karen (Elle Peterson). They find shelter at her parents' home, but not exactly sympathy. The reactions of
her parents, Hank (Richard Jenkins) and Alice (Sissy Spacek), reflect the backward atmosphere that
allows men to believe they can do anything they wish to women. Hank figures Josey was kicked out for
adultery, while Alice sees and hears no evil.
Josey gets a bit more support from longtime friend Glory (Frances McDormand), a miners' union
representative, and her husband Kyle (Sean Bean). But they're still resigned to the way things are for
women on a job site dominated by men. Glory and Kyle have a friend, Bill White (Woody Harrelson), who
left their Minnesota town to be a big city lawyer and returns in time to plead Josey's case in court.
Either home could be stuffed with cliches, but Caro and Seitzman are smarter than that. Hank's taciturn
demeanor changes as he watches his daughter being ravaged. Alice will realize the same thing has
happened to her on a friendlier basis for years. Glory and other women like her will become aware of
their rights as human beings. Bill won't merely be a hunky distraction, as Aaron Eckhart's role served in
Erin Brockovich. There's also an absorbing rift between Josey and Sammy, who is barely a teenager and
has already soaked up the chauvinism.
North Country is wise about its subject, and perhaps even smarter about how to depict it. Caro pulls few
punches about the job site harassment, with filthy language and obscene practical "jokes," plus a flash of
violence that thankfully doesn't go too far. It would be bad enough if the male miners only believed
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women threatened their livelihood and safety. But their manhood is on the line and, like cornered
animals, they will attack without conscience. Caro makes the abuse harsh enough to matter, although
probably a few shades lighter than the truth.
Yet, for all its wincing material, North Country is also an entertaining film with occasional comic relief
from McDormand (Is there a better female buddy in movies today?) and a wisp of budding romance
between Josey and Bill. The bad guys, led by Jeremy Renner's sharp portrait of a slime ball, get what
they deserve, although they could have been better people with a few better choices. Chris Menges'
cinematography makes grime and labor seem poetic, while Caro's New Zealander curiosity notices things
a home-grown filmmaker might have overlooked.
By all counts, North Country is a winner.
MOVIE REVIEW
North Country (2005)
A Few Women at a Mine, Striking a Blow for All
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: October 21, 2005
For every woman who has been grabbed and groped against her wishes,
hounded and worse, told to shut up and smile, told to shut up and take it like
a man, told to shut up if you know what's good for you, the new film "North
Country" will induce a shiver of recognition and maybe a blast of rage. A
wobbly fiction about a real pioneering sex-discrimination case, the film is an
unabashed vehicle for its modestly de-glammed star, Charlize Theron, but,
much like George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck," it's also a star
vehicle with heart - an old-fashioned liberal weepie about truth and justice.
Written by Michael Seitzman and directed by Niki Caro, "North Country"
takes its inspiration from the first sexual harassment class-action suit in the
United States. The suit pitted a handful of female workers against their
employer, Eveleth Mines in northern Minnesota, and hinged on both physical
and psychological abuse that would have sent most people, men included,
running for the exits. Lois Jensen began working at Eveleth Mines in 1975
soon after a consent decree forced the company to hire women, only to find
herself bombarded by lewd comments, vulgar graffiti, hard-core pornography
and the unsolicited, at times threatening advances of male colleagues. One
man broke into her house as she slept; another stalked her with the sort of
delusional ardor that fuels the John Hinckleys of the world.
The women eventually won the suit, making history in the bargain, but only
after an excruciating, maddeningly drawn-out court battle of the sort that,
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generally speaking, works against the exigencies of compelling drama. "North
Country," which evokes the songs by Bob Dylan, a Minnesota native who grew
up on the iron range where the story takes place, is one of those Hollywood
entertainments that strive to tell a hard, bitter story with as much uplift as
possible. That the film works as well as it does, delivering a tough first hour
only to disintegrate like a wet newspaper, testifies to the skill of the
filmmakers as well as to the constraints brought on them by an industry that
insists on slapping a pretty bow on even the foulest truth.
Starting in the late 1980's, the film tracks the education of Josey Aimes (Ms.
Theron) from her days as an eager new hire to her weary tenure as a
combatant against a hostile, nearly all-male workforce. Even before Josey
signs on with Eveleth, Ms. Caro, who made a small splash with the mite-sized
art-house favorite "Whale Rider," tells us everything we need to know about
this scrapper, including the fact that she's used to being pushed around by
men. When the film opens, this veteran of those wars fought on the domestic
front is peeling herself off the floor where she has been viciously laid low,
though she is also soon on the road with her kids. Josey is used to being
pushed around, but she will be pushed only so far.
Like the other female miners, Josey takes a job at Eveleth Mines because it
pays better than any pink- or other blue-collar gig in the region. Poverty
forces these women into the mine, where the air is thick with dust and
misogyny. Despite the hazards, Josey quickly learns the pleasure of cashing
her own check, a novel experience after years of dependency on both men and
her parents (played by Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins). Money and fear fear of losing family, home and independence - keep the women punching the
mine clock. Money and fear also keep their heads bowed and mouths closed,
even as they are subjected to veiled and open threats.
"Whale Rider" fit snuggly on a small television screen, but here Ms. Caro
shows herself equal to the task of a bigger canvas, guiding the story with
urgency and dramatic sweep. With its belching smokestacks and moonscape
grounds, Eveleth Mines looks like a monster, a prison, a vision of hell. Ms.
Theron could easily play the damsel in distress, but she keeps her
performance grounded, winning our sympathies if not our credulity. It's all
too easy to make fun of Hollywood actresses for taking on awards-baiting
roles, just as it's easy to dismiss a film like "North Country" because, as a
young male friend more or less suggested, our screens are overflowing with
stories about working-class women sticking it to the Man.
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That's an absurd fiction, but surely more comforting than the truth, which at
the Eveleth Mines was messy, tiresome, exhausting, banal and stultifyingly
ugly. Mr. Seitzman pares away most of the mess and the tedium, but his
smartest move is to turn a mirror on the audience and transform one
woman's life and hard times into the life and hard times of all women. As
Josey testifies in court, recalling every insult and outrage that ate at her soul,
she becomes every woman who has ever had to repeat "no" until she was blue
in the face. It's exhausting fighting that fight, and this may explain why
"North Country" self-destructs midway through, as if undone by the sheer
effort of trying to stuff so much unpleasantness into a redemption song.
The filmmakers' inability to wrest a happy ending out of this story, much less
a hint of real triumph, also may be partly explained by recent events. Last
year, the advocacy group National Women's Law Center issued a report that
accused the Bush administration of rolling back gains for women in all walks
of life, noting the diminished number of sex-discrimination cases handled by
the Justice Department. It's hard to imagine what the women who fought
Eveleth Mines would make of these developments, though it is a good guess
that they would be pleased to see their struggle onscreen and back in the
public eye. After all, as is clear from the plaintiff who had her ashes scattered
over the mines, these women knew when it was time to fight.
"North Country" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or
adult guardian). There is a lot of crude language and violence, both physical
and psychological, against women.
North Country
BY ROGER EBERT / October 21, 2005
After Josey Aimes takes her kids and walks out on the boyfriend who beats her, she doesn't find a lot of
sympathy back at home. "He caught you with another man? That's why he laid hands on you?" asks her
father. "You can actually ask me that question?" she says. He can. In that place, at that time, whatever
happened was the woman's fault. Josey has returned to her home town outside Minnesota, where her
father works in the strip mines of the Mesabi Iron Range.
She gets a job as a hairdresser. It doesn't pay much. She can make six times more as a miner. She applies
for a job and gets one, even though her new boss is not happy: "It involves lifting, driving, and all sorts of
other things a woman shouldn't be doing, if you ask me. But the Supreme Court doesn't agree." Out of
every 30 miners, 29 are men. Josie, who is good-looking and has an attitude, becomes a target for lust and
hate, which here amount to the same thing.
"North Country," which tells her story, is inspired by the life of a real person, Lois Jenson, who filed the first
class action lawsuit for sexual harassment in American history. That the suit was settled as recently as 1991
17
came as a surprise to me; I would have guessed the 1970s, but no, that's when the original court decision
came down. Like the court's decisions on civil rights, it didn't change everything overnight.
The filmmakers say Josey Aimes is a character inspired by Jenson's lawsuit but otherwise fictional; the real
Jenson is not an Erin Brockovich-style firebrand, and keeps a low profile. What Charlize Theron does with
the character is bring compelling human detail. We believe she looks this way, sounds this way, thinks this
way. After "Monster," here is another extraordinary role from an actress who has the beauty of a fashion
model but has found resources within herself for these powerful roles about unglamorous women in the
world of men.
The difference is that her Aileen Wronos, in "Monster," was a murderer, no matter what society first did to
her. All Josey Aimes wants is a house of her own, good meals and clothes for her kids, and enough money
to buy her son hockey skates once in a while. Reasonable enough, it would seem, but even her father Hank
(Richard Jenkins) is opposed to women working in the mines, because it's not "women's work," and
because she is taking the job away from a man "who needs it to support his family." Josey replies: "So do I."
But even the women in the community believe there's something wrong if she can't find a man to take care
of her.
"North Country" is the first movie by Niki Caro since the wonderful "Whale Rider." That was the film about
a 12-year-old Maori girl in New Zealand, who is next in an ancestral line to be chief of her people, but is
kept from the position because she is a woman. Now here is another woman who's told what she can't do
because she is a woman. "Whale Rider" won an Oscar nomination for young Keisha Castle-Hughes, who lost
to Charlize Theron. Now Theron and Caro will probably be going to the Academy Awards again.
Caro sees the story in terms of two worlds. The first is the world of the women in the community,
exemplified by a miner named Glory (Frances McDormand), who is the only female on the union
negotiating committee, and has a no-nonsense, folksy approach that disarms the men. She finds a way to
get what she wants without confrontation. The other women miners are hard-working survivors who put
up with obscenity and worse, and keep their heads down because they need their jobs more than they
need to make a point. Josie has two problems: She is picked on more than the others, and one of her
persecutors is a supervisor named Bobby Sharp (Jeremy Renner), who shares a secret with her that goes
back to high school, and has left him filled with guilt and hostility.
In the male world, picking on women is all in a day's work. It's what a man does. A woman operates a piece
of heavy machinery unaware that a sign painted on the cab advertises sex for sale. The women find
obscenities written in excrement on the walls of their locker room. When McDormand persuades the union
to ask for Porta-Potties for the women, "who can't hold it as long as you fellas," one of the first women to
use one has it toppled over while she's inside.
There is also all sorts of touching and fondling, but if a woman is going to insist on having breasts, how can
a guy be blamed for copping a feel? After Bobby Sharp assaults Josey, his wife screams at her in public:
"Stay away from Bobby Sharp!" It is assumed and widely reported that Josey is a tramp, and she is advised
to "spend less time stirring up your female co-workers and less time in the beds of your male coworkers."
She appeals to a local lawyer (Woody Harrelson), who takes the case partly because it will establish new
law. It does. The courtroom protocol in the closing scenes is not exactly conventional, but this isn't a
documentary about legal procedure, it's a drama about a woman's struggle in a community where even the
good people are afraid to support her. The court scenes work magnificently on that level.
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"North Country" is one of those movies that stir you up and make you mad, because it dramatizes practices
you've heard about but never really visualized. We remember that Frances McDormand played a woman
police officer in this same area in "Fargo," and we value that memory, because it provides a foundation for
Josey Aimes. McDormand's role in this movie is different and much sadder, but brings the same pluck and
common sense to the screen. Put these two women together (as actors and characters) and they can
One stunning miner manages to extract emotion from a dismal
situation
Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Senior Movie Writer
Flush with her biggest paycheck ever, single mom Josey Aimes -- who rises to heroine status in
"North Country," much like Erin Brockovich in the movie named for her -- splurges on a restaurant
meal. The kick Josey obviously gets from treating her two kids is enhanced when the owner of the
mine where she's started working stops by to introduce himself, telling her, "I remember your face."
Well, that's understandable. Such an exquisite face, its every feature nearly perfect, would stand out
even encased in soot from the quarries. Charlize Theron's beauty initially makes her not terribly
believable as a woman forced to blast ore and haul rocks for a living.
But Theron's performance gains both credibility and force as Josey's looks turn out to be germane in
this compelling if occasionally unnecessarily convoluted movie. Loosely based on a true incident,
"North Country" is set in 1989 in a small northern Minnesota town dependent on its mines for
employment. When a small number of women are hired, the male miners feel threatened and make
things extremely unpleasant for their new co-workers. For Josey, who has a history of attracting
men with bad intentions, this means unwanted sexual advances bordering on rape. With Anita Hill
as an inspiration -- the family television is turned to her testimony at Clarence Thomas'
confirmation hearings -- Josey spearheads a sexual harassment class-action suit against the mining
company.
That's a lot of story to tell, and it takes a while for director Niki Caro to find a way into it. The New
Zealand filmmaker was hired based on her success with "Whale Rider," a minuscule undertaking
19
compared with this one. Caro was handed a cast of heavy-hitters, including Oscar winners Theron,
Sissy Spacek as Josey's wise mother and Frances McDormand as a veteran of the mines.
The first 15 minutes or so of "North Country" are a mess. Caro attempts the same technique
Fernando Meirelles used in "The Constant Gardener," of switching back and forth in time. But she
lacks his prescience in being able to tell how much the audience can process before becoming
terminally baffled. So we get a close-up of a badly bruised Josey, victimized by a wife-beater,
followed by shots of her as a voluptuous teen. One moment Josey is being examined by the mining
company's doctor to make sure she isn't pregnant; the next, she's testifying in court about the
indignity of the procedure.
Fortunately, "North Country" calms down and becomes extremely engrossing, especially in the
courtroom battles where Josey discovers her strength. Legal professionals might scoff that the
proceedings are allowed to become so raucous. But it's all carefully calculated for dramatic effect
and succeeds brilliantly in drawing you in and eliciting tears in the process.
Theron, fast becoming one of the best actresses of her generation, exhibits impressive range in a
scene where Josey insists on addressing union members vehemently opposed to her lawsuit. Boiling
with anger, she stares down the crowd, and her silence speaks volumes. Oddly in a movie about
women's rights, the other actresses aren't given much to do. Spacek's role is seriously underwritten,
and McDormand's character disappears for long stretches.
The men fare far better. Woody Harrelson is at his jaunty best as a onetime hockey star still
fantasizing about his past glory. He returns to his hometown from New York, where he practiced
law, just in time to let Josey talk him into representing her. Harrelson gets to deliver the film's few
stabs at humor, as when he rejects a hot young thing's invitation to dance by informing her, "I'm
wearing underwear older than you."
Richard Jenkins gives the standout supporting performance, worthy of Oscar consideration, as
Josey's father, a miner unable to conceal his anger at his daughter for having a child out of wedlock
and, now, creating dissension at his workplace. Among the most difficult acting assignments is to
show confusion -- it's what makes Hamlet such a bear. Jenkins, an unsung character actor best
known as the dad on "Six Feet Under" who returns from the dead, delves into the heart of a man
trying to do the right thing -- if only he can figure out what it is.
"North Country" would have benefited from crisper editing. It runs at least 15 minutes longer than
necessary. How many overview shots of the mines do we need before getting the idea that they're
dismal? For all its flaws, "North Country" delivers an emotional wallop and a couple of
performances worthy of recognition come award time.
North Country
By DAVID ROONEY
Charlize Theron stars as a woman who's at the center of a class action sexual harassment suit in the north Minnesota mining country.
20
While the magical folkloric elements of "Whale Rider" may be its most immediately striking factor,
the depth of feeling invested by Niki Caro in the bonds between characters holds the movie
together. Finely etched bonds -- linking couples, family, community -- also supply the heart of the
New Zealand director's first American feature, "North Country." A stirring drama about a
groundbreaking class action sexual harassment suit, pic indulges in movie-ish manipulation in its
climactic courtroom scenes. But it remains an emotionally potent story told with great dignity, to
which women especially will respond, giving Warner very solid footing among the fourth-quarter
quality releases.
In addition to Caro's graceful transition from a modestly scaled, locally made
feature to larger-canvas work and to a highly specific American environment, the
film represents a confident next step for lead Charlize Theron. Though the
challenges of following a career-redefining Oscar role have stymied actresses,
Theron segues from "Monster" to a performance in many ways more accomplished.
While the role again calls for the thesp to be deglamorized, it has none of the
attention-getting physical assists of her transforming turn as Aileen Wuornos.
Instead, Theron gives a measured, deeply felt characterization of a good woman
scarred by injustices and inequalities, who wants simply to take charge of her life
and provide for her children.
The strength of both the performance and character anchor the film firmly in the
tradition of other dramas about working-class women leading the fight over
industrial workplace issues, such as "Norma Rae" or "Silkwood."
Inspired by facts lifted from the book "Class Action: The Landmark Case That
Changed Sexual Harassment Law," Michael Seitzman's screenplay moves
dexterously between past and present. Beginning in court, the drama retraces the
grievances that led Josie Aimes (Theron) there, the factors that prompted her to
seek work in the man's world of a northern Minnesota iron mine, and a dark,
formative episode from her past, dredged up in the mining company's standard
"nuts and sluts" defense.
Fresh out of a bad marriage, Josie moves back home with her parents, Alice (Sissy
Spacek) and Hank (Richard Jenkins), both of whom encourage her to overlook her
husband's violent tendencies and patch up the marriage. With two kids by different
fathers, Josie already is the cause of local gossip, but her rigid father's sense of
shame intensifies to resentment when she responds to the suggestion of her friend
Glory (Frances McDormand) that she seek work at the mine.
A veteran pit man, Hank's bitterness is minor, however, compared to the aggression
of other miners, who respond to the Supreme Court's enforced quotas for women in
the sector's shrinking job market with open scorn and sexual intimidation.
Present at every level, this hostility is amplified with each attempt by Josie to draw
attention to the transgressions. Her protests earn her the contempt of the men
responsible and also of the women who are the victims.
Caro is a humanistic filmmaker, her work more satisfying and delicate in sketching
the good guys than the bad. The camaraderie between the small group of women
miners is observed with a gentle, economical touch, while the bullying men seem
perhaps too collectively irredeemable a presence. When, during the turning point in
the court hearings, a number of people of both genders stand in support of Josie,
the invisibility of these representatives of good conscience during the earlier
misdemeanors underlines a slightly nagging suggestion of heavy-handedness.
But the movie's genuinely affecting strengths more than overcome this. Aided
immeasurably by the gritty, unvarnished textures of Chris Menges' widescreen
camera work, which gives the film both physical and emotional majesty, Caro
creates a vivid sense of the women's isolation and powerlessness. This climate of
21
fear and wariness is achieved not only through scenes depicting the indignities they
suffer but also in the sheer brute presence of the mine itself: a big, clanking
industrial monster squatting in the middle of a vast landscape blanketed in snow.
The descriptive aerial shots are especially eloquent.
The cast, too, is in top form. There's no grandstanding in Theron's lovely
performance, just a quiet understanding and sensitivity to the ways in which a
woman of average intellect and limited experience can summon the instinctive will
to fight. (Without hammering the point, the script has Josie's articulation of sexual
harassment issues fueled by TV coverage of the Anita Hill hearings.)
While the drama perhaps doesn't need Glory's devastating illness, McDormand as
always creates a memorable character, whose straight-up, savvy manner has made
her the only respected woman in the mining company. And "Fargo" fans will get a
kick out of hearing her mouth those Minnesotan vowels again.
Sean Bean gets a welcome break from playing Euro villains, bringing gentle
nuances to Glory's supportive husband. Woody Harrelson also plays well against
type as a former ice hockey star-turned-lawyer, who takes on Josie's case as he
inches hesitantly toward deeper involvement with her.
Jenkins and Spacek supply complex shadings to Josie's conflicted parents, with
Hank's unbending anger crumbling as family loyalty and personal morality take
hold, while Alice's traditional religious views of spousal compliance are outweighed
by her clear sense of what's right.
Seitzman's script maintains a judicious balance between Josie's quest for justice
and her dealings with family, in particular her troubled teenage son (Thomas Curtis).
It's this depth of attention to the personal details beyond the drama's frontline
agenda that successfully offset the programmatic developments in the later stages
of the hearings.
The film makes fine use of a lilting score laced with strumming guitars and other
strings. In addition to his contributions to "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "Brokeback
Mountain," Gustavo Santaolalla's skill at creating a subtle, distinctive musical mood
makes him one of the most interesting film composers to emerge in recent years.
Entertainment: Movies with a Message
By the time Jeff Skoll, CEO of the newly formed film company Participant Productions, got
the script for Good Night, and Good Luck--about the showdown between heralded 1950s
news anchor Edward R. Murrow and infamous communist witch hunter Joseph McCarthy-it had been turned down by every studio in Hollywood. "Once I started to learn about
McCarthyism and about what Murrow did, the story struck me as very relevant to what's
going on today with this Administration and things like the Patriot Act," says Canadian-born
Skoll. Nonetheless, Skoll also passed on making the script, which George Clooney had
originally cowritten as a four-part television show. But when Skoll spent time with Clooney
in Dubai during the filming of Syriana, the two talked for hours about history. Clooney
explained his vision for the film, frame by frame, and Skoll was sold. He believed the film
would meld with Participant's grandiose mission: to change the world.
Skoll isn't just any filmmaker. He's a cofounder of eBay, who retired at 35 with a reported
$2 billion in his pocket. Like most other entrepreneurs who have made their first billion
before 35, the boyish-looking Skoll is an intensely driven man. Exhausted employees say
he is rarely out of touch and never without his Sidekick, Treo and cell phone. These days
Skoll's primary objective is not to make money but rather to spend what he has pursuing
such lofty ideals as government accountability and social and economic justice.
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Skoll is no novice to philanthropy or quixotic causes. As eBay's first president, he created
the eBay Foundation with a donation of 107,250 shares of pre-ipo stock to fund community
organizations and provide grants to a variety of non-profit groups. His $600 million Skoll
Foundation awards up to 18 grants each year, ranging from $500,000 to $1 million, to
midlevel social entrepreneurs. But when Skoll opened Participant Productions in January
2004 and announced his intention to cure what ails the world through film, even his
greatest admirers predicted the billionaire would soon be downsizing to a mere millionaire.
In Hollywood there generally isn't much money to be made in doing good. Skoll was
undeterred. "I believe that people are basically good and want to do good things, and this
was a way to help them do that," he says. "Traditionally, people come to Hollywood for
financial reasons, or they think it's glamorous. I'm doing this because I believe that movies
and documentaries can be a wonderful pathway to change the world."
Skoll, who sees Participant as a way to straddle the line between business and
philanthropy, is encouraged by the track record of other movies with a message that have
achieved commercial success, such as Schindler's List, Gandhi and Hotel Rwanda.
Persuading big- name stars like Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron to work on feelgood projects for a fledgling studio was a hurdle at first. "In the early days, we spent a lot
of time trying to find people who were interested in what we were doing," he says. "Now
we are inundated with people coming to us--actors, writers, directors--with great,
entertaining projects. I've found that everybody has a project or issue that is special to
them."
Although Skoll has the final say on which movies get the green light, he has assembled a
team of veteran Hollywood executives who share his vision to oversee the day-to-day
operation of Participant's documentary and narrative-feature divisions. "I was definitely
inspired by his passion and belief that this could be successful," says Participant president
Ricky Strauss. "The idea of working on movies that mattered, with social relevance, was
exciting and intoxicating."
Good Night, and Good Luck, North Country and Syriana came out of Participant's
partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment (a division of Time Warner, which owns
TIME). "I know these movies carry more risk than something like Dukes of Hazzard, but
they are movies with a purpose," says Warner Bros. president and coo Alan Horn.
Although Horn is also actively involved in myriad political and social causes, he was able
to partner with Skoll because of the entrepreneur's willingness to put up half the money
and assume half the risk, which made the partnership more appealing.
So far it's unclear whether the risks are paying off--at least financially. The black-and-white
quasi-biopic Good Night, and Good Luck cost a modest $7 million and has earned $18
million at the box office to date. But North Country, the story of a single mother whose
barbaric treatment in a Minnesota mine leads to the first sexual-harassment class action in
the country, has been a commercial disappointment, so far recouping just half its $35
million budget.
Skoll has much bigger ambitions than making money, though. He hopes inspired viewers
will take steps to bring about change. With each movie release, the company's partner
website, Participate. net, provides viewers with a way to get involved. Working in
partnership with the a.c.l.u., Channel One, pbs, Salon.com and Satellite Radio, the "Report
It Now" campaign (a takeoff on Murrow's 1950s cbs News program See It Now) asks
viewers to report important stories ignored or overlooked by the media. The larger
purpose, according to the website, is to "compel the media to get back to reporting in the
public interest." For North Country, Participant joined forces with the Family Violence
Prevention Fund, the Feminist Majority Foundation and now to launch "Stand Up," an
action campaign that asks viewers to lobby Congress to renew the Violence Against
Women Act and that challenges them to implement and support other antiharassment
practices at home, at school and in the workplace.
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Skoll's bet on movies with a message may pay off yet. Syriana, Participant's venture with
Clooney, and its third and most ambitious movie to date, opened nationwide in late
November and has received favorable reviews and plenty of buzz. Based on the book See
No Evil by former cia operative Robert Baer, the film looks at the danger of U.S. reliance
on Middle Eastern oil. The film may earn back its investment. But Skoll cares even more
about its spurring a serious discussion on alternative energy. In partnership with the
Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and Terra Pass, Skoll asks viewers to
lobby Congress for more investments in renewable energy and presents ways to reduce
oil dependence. With three movies under his belt--and a box-office hit or two--Skoll may
now persuade even the most profit-hungry investors to join his crusade to change the
world.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1139849,00.html#ixzz1F3g8lvF3
An Outline of the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas Controversy
In 1991, Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to be appointed to the United
States Supreme Court, decided to retire. Throughout his life, Justice Marshall epitomized
an ideal of leadership in the legal fight for Civil Rights. In the 1950s, he led the
NAACP’s historic battle against racial segregation in the Brown vs. the Board of
Education of Topeka case, which sought to desegregate the public schools. When the
case went before the Supreme Court in May 1954, the Justices found Marshall's
arguments convincing and ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently
unequal." Chief Justice Earl Warren argued that separating school children on the basis
of race "generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may
affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone." The landmark
decision was a major catalyst for the modern Civil Rights movement and gave Thurgood
Marshall national prominence as an advocate for Civil Rights. In 1967, President
Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the Supreme Court.
Twenty-four years later, when Justice Marshall decided to retire, a decidedly more
conservative political atmosphere dominated national politics. Republican President
George Bush was in the White House following the eight-year administration of
President Ronald Reagan. President Bush saw Justice Marshall's retirement as an
opportunity to appoint a more conservative judge to the Supreme Court. His choice was
Clarence Thomas, a forty-three year old, conservative, African-American from Pinpoint,
Georgia. Thomas would maintain the racial makeup of the Court, yet would add another
conservative voice on decisions involving Affirmative Action and abortion.
President Bush's nomination of Clarence Thomas was instantly controversial. Many
African-American and Civil Rights organizations including: the NAACP, the National
Bar Association, and the Urban League, opposed the Thomas nomination. These
organizations feared that Thomas's conservative stance on issues such as Affirmative
Action would reverse the Civil Rights gains that Justice Marshall had fought so hard to
achieve. Women's groups including the National Organization for Women were equally
concerned that Clarence Thomas, if appointed to the high court, would rule against legal
24
abortion. The legal community also voiced apprehension about Thomas's clear lack of
experience since he had only served two years as a federal judge.
Despite these voices of dissent, the Thomas nomination proceeded to the Senate
Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings. The first few days of the hearings were
relatively uneventful. When asked about his stance on legal abortion, Thomas claimed
that he had not formulated an opinion and the issue was dropped. After a few more days
of outside testimony, it appeared as if the Senate committee would easily confirm the
Thomas nomination. The committee split its vote, however--seven to seven, and the
nomination went to the Senate without a clear recommendation.
When the nomination moved to the floor of the Senate, it took a sudden and dramatic
turn when Anita Hill, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, came forward with
accusations that Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her. Hill had worked for
Thomas years earlier when he was head of the Equal Employment Opportunities
Commission. Hill charged that Thomas harassed her with inappropriate discussion of
sexual acts and pornographic films after she rebuffed his invitations to date him. A
media frenzy quickly arose around Hill's allegations and Thomas's denials. When
Thomas testified about Hill's claims before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he called
the hearings, "a high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks." The incident became one person's
word against another's. In the end, the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Clarence Thomas
as associate justice of the Supreme Court.
To the many people who believed Anita Hill's claims or opposed the Thomas
nomination on other grounds, Thomas's appointment was a defeat. Yet, the Anita HillClarence Thomas controversy had other long-term consequences beyond Justice
Thomas's life-term on the Supreme Court. Foremost, national awareness about sexual
harassment in the workplace heightened considerably. According to Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission filings, sexual harassment cases have more than doubled, from
6,127 in 1991 to 15,342 in 1996. Over the same period, awards to victims under federal
laws nearly quadrupled, from $7.7 million to $27.8 million.
Another repercussion of the Hill-Thomas controversy was the increased involvement of
women in politics. The media heralded the 1992 election year as the "Year of the
Woman" when a record number of women ran for public office and won. In the U.S.
Senate, eleven women ran and five won seats--including one incumbent candidate. In the
House of Representatives, twenty-four women won new seats. Many commentators saw
this increase as a direct reaction to the Thomas nomination. His appointment dismayed
many women, who felt that Anita Hill's allegations were not taken seriously by a Senate
that was 98% male.
In the end, the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy acted as a flash point that
illuminated many of the central tensions of life in late twentieth-century America. Justice
Thomas's nomination to replace Justice Marshall prompted new retrospection on the
accomplishments of the modern Civil Rights movement and sparked more debate about
Affirmative Action policies. Anita Hill's accusations heightened public awareness of
sexual harassment in the workplace and women's unequal representation in the political
25
sphere. The media frenzy surrounding the event marked a new trend of obsessive and
often tabloid-style coverage that has only worsened through subsequent news events
such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton sex
scandal. Historians will always turn to the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy to
understand race relations, gender politics, and media influences in America at the brink
of the twenty-first century.
Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines a.k.a. Jenson v. Eveleth Mines, Jenson v. Eveleth
Taconite
Affirmative action came to the Iron Range in 1974 when the U.S. government forced
steel
companies
to
hand
over
20%
of
their
jobs
to
women
and
minorities.
The
following
year,
a
petite
and
feminine,
single
mother
on
welfare
named
Lois
Jenson
was
hired
as
one
of
the
first
female
workers
in
the
Eveleth
iron
mine
in
northern
Minnesota.
She
worked
grueling
hours
cleaning
soot
from
huge
grinding
machines,
and,
along
with
her
fellow
female
coworkers,
endured
brutal
sexual
and
gender
harassment
from
the
men
who
believed
women
should
remain
at
home
and
not
compete
with
men
for
scarce
jobs.
(Lois
was
also
stalked
by
one
of
her
supervisors.)
At
first,
terrified
of
being
fired,
the
remained
quiet.
Ultimately
the
became
intolerable,
forcing
them
to
however, the company did nothing.
In
special
assess
1993,
master
the
a
retired
to
amount
judge
oversee
a
of
money
women
harassment
complain;
was
trial
the
named
to
women
26
should
be
paid
in
damages.
He
had
"old
school"
beliefs
and
a
past
history
of
sexual
harassment.
Eveleth
Mines'
lead
counsel
during
this
phase
was
a
woman,
and
she
planned
a
"nuts
and
sluts"
defense
to
minimize
the
amount
of
damages
awarded
to
each
plaintiff.
Her
strategy
involved
proving
that
the
women
either
caused
the
harassment
by
their
own
behavior
towards
their
male
coworkers,
or
were
lying
about
the
severity
and
the
psychological
effects.
The
judge
permitted
Eveleth's
lawyers
to
obtain
the
women's
medical
histories
from
birth,
and
before
the
trial,
the
plaintiffs
endured
close
to
80
days
of
brutal
depositions
that
explored
their
past
personal
and
sexual
lives
in
great
detail,
regardless
of
relevance.
Said
one
plaintiff, "I felt I was raped on the stand."
Eveleth Iron Mines in Minnesota
Lois Jenson photographed in 2005
The trial commenced in 1995. According to Sprenger, throughout testimony about
the
savage sexual harassment that occurred at the mine, the judge frequently fell
asleep;
when awake, he seemed to enjoy hearing about the women's ordeal. After the trial,
the
judge expressed much skepticism in his 1996 report, calling the women
"histrionic."
In the end, he awarded each of them only an average of $10,000. (Soon after the
trial,
the judge was arrested for shoplifting.) However, the judgement was reversed in
27
December 1997 by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. This time, a jury trial was
ordered.
Lois ultimately prevailed after the plaintiffs were awarded $30 million dollars in a
mock trial. In 1998, on the eve of the actual jury trial, the women settled with
Eveleth
for
a total of $3.5 million dollars. Overall, Lois and the other women went through
three
humiliating trials where their character and personal lives were assaulted over and
over again by Eveleth’s lawyers. In addition, they endured the torturous process
of
litigation, and further torment of working class citizens by the civilized venue of
the
federal court system. Judge Donald Lay wrote,
"It should be obvious that the callous pattern and practice of sexual
harassment engaged in by Eveleth Mines inevitably destroyed the self-esteem
of the working women exposed to it. The emotional harm, brought about by this
record of human indecency, sought to destroy the human psyche as well as the
human spirit of each plaintiff. The humiliation and degradation suffered by
these women is irreparable. Although money damage cannot make these
women whole or even begin to repair the injury done, it can serve to set a
precedent that in the environment of the working place such hostility will not be
tolerated."
Throughout the process, Eveleth paid more than 15 millions dollars in legal fees
and
settlements. All of this could have been avoided simply if they had been willing to
implement a sexual harassment policy. Instead, Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines became
the first sexual harassment class action lawsuit in America, and changed the legal
system as well as lives of the women who fought the war. (50, 51, 52, 54)
The
new
Warner
Brothers
movie,
Country,”
is
based
on
Jenson’s
story
the
book,
“Class
Action:
The
Story
of
Jenson
and
the
Landmark
Case
Changed
Sexual
Harassment
Law,”
Clara
Bingham
and
Laura
“North
and
Lois
That
by
Leedy
28
Gansler.
Theron
based
Woody
The
as
on
Harrelson,
movie
Josie
Jenson),
and
stars
Charlize
Aimes
(the
character
Frances
McDormand,
Sissy
Spacek.
Jenson
was
initially
very
resistant
to
being
involved
with
the
film,
believing
that
Hollywood
would
exploit,
cheapen,
or
over-simplify
the
story.
However,
the
director,
Niki
Caro,
eventually
won
her
over.
After the premiere, Lois commented, "They have made a very good film. It's a story that
compresses 20 years of stuff, and the characters are composites of several of us. But
the sexual harassment depicted was true. They captured the emotions very well, and
overall I think it's an incredibly powerful film that will be around a long time." (53)
Synopsis
from
Warner
Brothers:
When Josey Aimes (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown
in Northern Minnesota after a failed marriage, she needs a good job. A single mother
with two children to support, she turns to the predominant source of employment in
the
region
–
the
iron
mines.
The mines provide a livelihood that has sustained a community for generations. The
work is hard but the pay is good and friendships that form on the job extend into
everyday life, bonding families and neighborhoods with a common thread. It’s an
industry long dominated by men, in a place unaccustomed to change.
Encouraged by her old friend Glory (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand),
one of the few female miners in town, Josey joins the ranks of those laboring to blast
ore from rock in the gaping quarries. She is prepared for the back-breaking and often
dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other female miners
encounter from their male coworkers proves far more challenging.
Times are tough. The last thing the miners want is women competing for
scarce
jobs
–
women
who,
in
their
estimation,
have
no
business
driving
trucks
and
hauling
rock
anyway.
If
these
newcomers
want
to
work
the
mines
they’
ll
have
to
do
it
on
the
terms
set
by
the
veteran
workforce
and
it
won’t
be
easy.
Take
it
or
leave
it.
When
Josey
treatment
she
face
she
is
from
those
community
that
truth,
her
of
her
own
only
making
her
friendship
her
already
speaks
out
against
the
and
her
fellow
workers
met
with
resistance
–
not
only
in
power
but
from
a
doesn’t
want
to
hear
the
disapproving
parents
and
many
colleagues
who
fear
she
is
things
worse.
In
time,
even
with
Glory
will
be
tested,
difficult
connection
with
her
29
father,
a
lifelong
its
limit
and
exposed to scrutiny.
miner,
elements
will
of
be
her
pushed
personal
to
life
The fallout from Josey’s battle to make a better future for herself and her children will
affect every aspect of her life, including her relationship with her young daughter and
her sensitive teenage son, who must first cope with the embarrassment of his mother’
s sudden notoriety and then face harsh details of her past she was hoping he would
never
have
to
know.
Through these struggles Josey will find the courage to stand up for what she believes
in
–
even
if
that
means
standing
alone.
Inspired by a true story, North Country follows Josey's journey on a road that will take
her farther than she ever imagined, ultimately inspiring countless others, and leading
to the nation’s first-ever class action lawsuit for sexual harassment.
30
Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines
a.k.a. Jenson v. Eveleth Mines, Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite
Affirmative action came to the Iron Range in
1974 when the U.S. government forced steel
companies to hand over 20% of their jobs to
women and minorities. The following year, a
petite and feminine, single mother on welfare
named Lois Jenson was hired as one of the
first female workers in the Eveleth iron mine in
northern Minnesota. She worked grueling
hours cleaning soot from huge grinding
machines, and, along with her fellow female
coworkers, endured brutal sexual and gender
harassment from the men who believed
women should remain at home and not
compete with men for scarce jobs. (Lois was
also stalked by one of her supervisors.)
At first, terrified of being fired, the women
remained quiet. Ultimately the harassment
became intolerable, forcing them to complain;
however, the company did nothing.
In 1993, a retired judge was named
special master to oversee a trial to
assess the amount of money the women
should be paid in damages. He had "old
school" beliefs and a past history of
sexual harassment. Eveleth Mines' lead
counsel during this phase was a woman,
and she planned a "nuts and sluts"
defense to minimize the amount of
31
damages awarded to each plaintiff. Her
strategy involved proving that the women
either caused the harassment by their
own behavior towards their male
coworkers, or were lying about the
severity and the psychological effects.
The judge permitted Eveleth's lawyers to
obtain the women's medical histories
from birth, and before the trial, the
plaintiffs endured close to 80 days of
brutal depositions that explored their past
personal and sexual lives in great detail,
regardless of relevance. Said one
plaintiff, "I felt I was raped on the stand."
Eveleth Iron Mines in Minnesota
Lois Jenson photographed in 2005
The
trial
commenced
in
1995.
According
to
Sprenger,
throughout
testimony
about
the
savage sexual harassment that occurred at the mine, the judge frequently fell asleep;
when awake, he seemed to enjoy hearing about the women's ordeal.
After the trial, the
judge
expressed
much
skepticism
in
his
1996
report,
calling
the
women
"histrionic."
In the end, he awarded each of them only an average of $10,000.
(Soon after the trial,
the
judge
was
arrested
for
shoplifting.)
However,
the
judgement
was
reversed
in
December 1997 by
the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
This time,
a jury trial was
ordered.
Lois
ultimately
prevailed
after
the
plaintiffs
were
awarded
$30
million
dollars
in
a
mock trial. In 1998, on the eve of the actual jury trial, the women settled with Eveleth for
a total of $3.5 million dollars.
Overall, Lois and the other women went through three
humiliating
trials
where
their
character
and
personal
lives
were
assaulted
over
and
over
again
by
Eveleth’s
lawyers.
In
addition,
they
endured
the
torturous
process
of
litigation,
and
further
torment
of
working
class
citizens
by
the
civilized
venue
of
the
federal court system. Judge Donald Lay wrote,
"It
should
be
obvious
that
the
callous
pattern
and
practice
of
sexual
harassment
engaged
in
by
Eveleth
Mines
inevitably
destroyed
the
self-esteem
of
the
working
women
exposed
to
it.
The
emotional
harm,
brought
about
by
this
record
of
human
indecency,
sought
to
destroy
the
human
psyche
as
well
as
the
human
spirit
of
each
plaintiff.
The
humiliation
and
degradation
suffered
by
these
women
is
irreparable.
Although
money
damage
cannot
make
these
women
whole
or
even
begin
to
repair
the
injury
done,
it
can
serve
to
set
a
32
precedent
that
in
the
environment
of
the
working
place
such
hostility
will
not
be
tolerated."
Throughout
the
process,
Eveleth
paid
more
than
15
millions
dollars
in
legal
fees
and
settlements.
All
of
this
could
have
been avoided simply if
they had
been
willing
to
implement
a
sexual
harassment
policy.
Instead,
Jenson
vs.
Eveleth
Mines
became
the
first
sexual
harassment
class
action
lawsuit
in
America,
and
changed
the
legal
system as well as lives of the women who fought the war. (50, 51, 52, 54)
The new Warner Brothers movie, “North
Country,” is based on Jenson’s story and
the book, “Class Action: The Story of Lois
Jenson and the Landmark Case That
Changed Sexual Harassment Law,” by
Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy
Gansler. The movie stars Charlize
Theron as Josie Aimes (the character
based on Jenson), Frances McDormand,
Woody Harrelson, and Sissy Spacek.
Jenson was initially very resistant to
being involved with the film, believing that
Hollywood would exploit, cheapen, or
over-simplify the story. However, the
director, Niki Caro, eventually won her
over.
After the premiere, Lois commented, "They have made a very good film. It's a story that
compresses 20 years of stuff, and the characters are composites of several of us. But
the sexual harassment depicted was true. They captured the emotions very well, and
overall I think it's an incredibly powerful film that will be around a long time." (53)
Synopsis from Warner Brothers:
When Josey Aimes (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown
in Northern Minnesota after a failed marriage, she needs a good job. A single mother
with two children to support, she turns to the predominant source of employment in
the region – the iron mines.
The mines provide a livelihood that has sustained a community for generations. The
work is hard but the pay is good and friendships that form on the job extend into
everyday life, bonding families and neighborhoods with a common thread. It’s an
33
industry long dominated by men, in a place unaccustomed to change.
Encouraged by her old friend Glory (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand),
one of the few female miners in town, Josey joins the ranks of those laboring to blast
ore from rock in the gaping quarries. She is prepared for the back-breaking and often
dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other female miners
encounter from their male coworkers proves far more challenging.
Times are tough. The last thing the
miners want is women competing for
scarce jobs – women who, in their
estimation, have no business driving
trucks and hauling rock anyway. If these
newcomers want to work the mines they’
ll have to do it on the terms set by the
veteran workforce and it won’t be easy.
Take it or leave it.
When Josey speaks out against the
treatment she and her fellow workers
face she is met with resistance – not only
from those in power but from a
community that doesn’t want to hear the
truth, her disapproving parents and many
of her own colleagues who fear she is
only making things worse. In time, even
her friendship with Glory will be tested,
her already difficult connection with her
father, a lifelong miner, will be pushed to
its limit and elements of her personal life
exposed to scrutiny.
The fallout from Josey’s battle to make a better future for herself and her children will
affect every aspect of her life, including her relationship with her young daughter and
her sensitive teenage son, who must first cope with the embarrassment of his mother’
s sudden notoriety and then face harsh details of her past she was hoping he would
never have to know.
Through these struggles Josey will find the courage to stand up for what she believes
in – even if that means standing alone.
34
Inspired by a true story, North Country follows Josey's journey on a road that will take
her farther than she ever imagined, ultimately inspiring countless others, and leading
to the nation’s first-ever class action lawsuit for sexual harassment.
Devastated by the abuse, Lois eventually found the courage to file a formal grievance
against the company.
In 1984, she mailed a complaint to the Minnesota Human Rights
Department
detailing
the
abuse
she
experienced
in
the
mines.
(Soon
after,
her
car
tires
were
slashed
in
retaliation.)
After
reviewing
the
case,
the
state
requested
that
Eveleth
pay
$11,000
in
damages
to
Jenson,
but
the
company
refused.
It
would
take
Lois another 14 years, and most of her mental and physical health, to battle Eveleth.
A
Jenson called more than 50 lawyers before her case was accepted by an experienced
employment
discrimination
lawyer
named
Paul
Sprenger.
In
1988,
Sprenger
filed
in
district
court.
Three
years
later,
the
case
became
the
first
sexual
harassment
lawsuit
in
history
to
be
given
class
action
status.
Two
other
women
had
joined
the
case;
however,
frightened
by
the
possibility
of
retaliation,
other
women
who
worked
in
the
mines
circulated
a
petition
speaking
out
against
the
lawsuit.
The
petition
stated
the
women
never
experienced
sexual
harassment,
even
though
all
of
them
had.
(The
women
also
placed
a
hangman's
noose
above
Lois'
workplace,
and
shunned
her
both
at work and in the community.)
A liability trial began in December 1992
in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Six months later, the
judge
ruled
that
the
company
should
have
prevented
and
stopped
the
misconduct.
He
ordered
Eveleth
to
educate
all
employees
about
sexual
harassment,
and
implement
a
sexual
harassment
policy.
More
women
joined
the
lawsuit
to
claim
damages,
including
a
number
who
had
signed
the
petition
against
the
lawsuit
and
had
testified
on behalf of Eveleth Mines in the first trial.
About
this
time,
Lois
and
another
plaintiff
in
post-traumatic stress disorder, and had to stop working at the mine.
the
case
were
diagnosed
with
35
North Country
A movie review by James Berardinelli
In the tradition of Norma Rae and Silkwood, North Country is the story of one woman's struggle against an
inflexible corporation. Despite some third-act flaws that weaken the conclusion, North Country does what
it sets out to do: inspire and uplift. It also provides a stark reminder of the inequities faced by women as
they attempted (and continue to attempt) to achieve equal footing with their male counterparts in the
workforce. 1989 (the year in which the bulk of the film transpires) isn't that long ago. Many things have
changed since then; sadly, the cultural shift has not penetrated into the darkest recesses of some areas of
employment.
North Country states that it is "inspired by true events." "Inspired" is probably as good as any description,
since the film's relationship to the real world is thin. Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) is a fictionalized version
of Lois Jensen. While some of the facts of the case and the general setting mirror those of the historical
account, most of what ended up in Michael Seitzman's screenplay is fictional. I have no problem with that it makes for a better story - but this is a cautionary note to those who believe they are watching a docudrama. (I really wish movie studios would cease-and-desist with "based on true story" captions - they do
nothing to strengthen the narrative and often spark debates about the "accuracy" of the screenplay, when
that's usually a red herring.)
It's 1989 in the North Country of Northern Minnesota, where iron mining represents the lifeblood of many
communities. Fleeing an abusive relationship, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) returns to her childhood
community with her two kids, Sammy (Thomas Curtis) and Karen (Elle Peterson), in tow. Her mother, Alice
(Sissy Spacek), is delighted to see her, but her father, Hank (Richard Jenkins), is not about to kill the fatted
calf. After spending some time scraping together a few dollars working at a local hair salon, Josey is
persuaded by her friend, Glory (Frances McDormand), to apply at the iron mine. Although the ratio of mento-women is 30:1, and the men are at times openly hostile to their female co-workers (they believe the
women are "taking away" men's jobs), the pay is six times better than what Josey can make styling hair.
The conditions Josey encounters are beyond what she is capable of quietly bearing (although that is the
advice she gets from more than one corner). She takes charges of harassment to her boss and is told to
return when she has a real problem. The company CEO tells her to resign, advice which she eventually
takes, but only after hiring a lawyer, Bill White (Woody Harrelson). Bill's idea is to pursue the first class
action lawsuit for sexual harassment. But will any of the other women working at the mine stand alongside
Josey?
On a dramatic level, North Country works for most of its running length. Josey's story is compelling. She's
the classic underdog fighting against the implacable corporation. She's on the side of right and the forces of
evil are aligned against her. Bolstered by a solid performance from Academy Award winner Charlize Theron,
Josey is a three-dimensional woman - a single mother fighting to provide for her children, and a daughter
trying to earn her father's approval. To the extent that we have all been underdogs at one time or another
in the workplace, we identify with Josey.
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Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) does not attempt an evenhanded portrayal of events. The story is
presented unapologetically from Josey's vantage point. The mining company and the men are the bad guys.
(Not all of the men, of course, but a sizeable percentage of them.) Some of the things they do to Josey and
her friend, Shelly (Michelle Monaghan), are reprehensible. One of the most effective and touching aspects
of the story is the way Josey's father, Hank, finds himself caught in the middle - and eventually must choose
sides. His emotional speech in front of a union meeting is one of North Country's high points, both
emotionally and dramatically.
There are weaknesses. A key scene late in the movie between Sammy and Glory's husband, Kyle (Sean
Bean), doesn't ring true. I didn't believe anything in this scene; every action and line of dialogue is
contrived. The court proceedings - to the extent that we see them - are generic and unsatisfying. And, of
course, we have the Big Dramatic Moment in which the tide turns. The last scene is odd, with the court
case left unresolved (a closing caption tells us what happened). Instead, we get a "domestic" moment that
would have worked better if it hadn't been used to close the film. It's as if someone recognized that the
running time was north of two hours and the proceedings had to be stopped immediately before viewers
became restless.
Solid acting abounds, but one would expect no less with a cast of this caliber. For the most part, the accents
are well done, as well. (Sean Bean has a few problems; for Frances McDormand, it's piece of cake, taking
her back into Fargo territory.) Charlize Theron may get an Oscar nomination for her work here, although
the performance is not as intense or memorable as the one she gave in Monster. McDormand and Woody
Harrelson provide solid support. Sissy Spacek is underused, and doesn't add much. But the one I want to
single out is character actor Richard Jenkins, who is superb. Jenkins' portrayal of Josey's conflicted father is
believable and powerful. Jenkins is one of those actors whose face is more familiar than his name. He has
appeared in more than 60 movies and TV productions, and is probably best known for a supporting role in
Flirting with Disaster and as a member of the ensemble cast for Six Feet Under. He deserves official
recognition for his work in North Country.
Director Caro is a woman with a social conscience. Like Whale Rider, North Country is a personal drama
with strong political overtones. Because of the flawed ending, I would judge North Country to be the
weaker of the two movies, but it's refreshing to see a foreign director come to Hollywood and not cave in
to pressure to make something sub-par just to get a product "out there." North Country is not a perfect
motion picture, but it is stirring and emotionally forceful and, while that may not make it an Oscar
contender, it makes it worth a trip to the multiplex.
Peter Bradshaw The Guardian, Friday 3 February 2006 Article history
'Erin Brockovich meets The Accused' ... Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand in North Country
Does L'Oreal have a cosmetic line called Hollywood Bluecollar? If so, Charlize Theron is slapping it on
liberally for this one. "A pair of dungarees and a season ticket to Wal-Mart - because I'm worth it!" North
Country is a feminist-lite dramatisation of America's first ever class-action lawsuit on sexual harassment
grounds. She plays a female mineworker in the iron fields of Minnesota, who takes her corporate bosses to
court over constant, brutal victimisation.
In real life, it's an inspiring story, but this movie is pathetically scared of alienating the male audience
demographic and makes Theron's victory entirely contingent on being extravagantly forgiven by her father
and her son. There's even a tacked-on final scene showing Theron showing her boy how to drive,
symbolically ceding the driving seat to him, just to show she's no ballbreaker. Karen Silkwood she ain't.
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