Great Foreign Movies - North Country. Review on North Country Movie

"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." – They say when survival at stake or basic necessities of clothes, food, shelter, respect, and self-esteem are at stack, person will do anything to survive.

Niki Caro’s North Country (2005) is fictional account, inspired from America’s first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit - Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines is the story of women whose survival was at stack. It’s story of long legal battle of group of women miners who endured a hostile work environment, continuous sexual harassments, and numerous insults when they became the first women to work at mines in modern Minnesota.

Back Story

In 1975, Lois Jenson became one of the first women to work in the Eveleth Mines, iron mines of Minnesota. Subjected to relentless sexual harassment, Jenson went in turn to the company, the union, the state department of human rights, and finally in 1988 to the private counsel and filed the first class action lawsuit for sexual harassment. The case took another 11 years and in the meantime, Jenson herself became disabled by stress from the harassment, suffered from the hostility of female co-workers, and the length of the legal process. At last in 1998, she and other plaintiffs won the case and helped shaping sexual harassment laws in America.

Story

When Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota after a failed marriage with a violent husband, all she wants is a house of her own, good meals, clothes for her kids, and good job to earn enough money to survive. She gets a job as a hairdresser but it doesn’t pay much. She later turns to the the iron mines, main source of employment in the region. The work at mines is hard but you can make six times more as a miner. The mines are lifeblood of community for generations. It’s an industry long dominated by men and unaccustomed to change.

Encouraged by her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), one of the few female miners in town, Josey joins the mining company. According to male co-workers, women have no business driving trucks and hauling rock and taking away men’s jobs. She is prepared for the strenuous work, but the job proves to be almost as harrowing as her marriage; the male miners, resentful of women taking jobs, verbally abuse and play humiliating pranks on the female miners. After being physically assaulted by a coworker, Josey tries to fight against the harassment. 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 that things will only get worse.

In the mean time, even her relationship with her parents, friends, social groups, co-workers starts getting tested, and elements of her personal life exposed to scrutiny including her past sexual relationships, and her relationship with her sensitive teenage son. Through these struggles Josey finds the courage to stand up for what she believes in, fights against the system, and win her rights, respect, and self-esteem in the society.

Analysis

North Country is inspiring, uplifting, and emotionally moving account of one woman’s struggle in oppressive societies of mining community in Northern Minnesota. It’s a fictional account based on true events transpired in last 30 years of American history which helped to shape woman’s rights and sexual harassment laws nationwide in corporate America.

Imagine society where woman is considered as machine whose job is to bore kids, raise kids, make food for family, clean the dishes, do the laundry work, and be a husband’s toy in the bed. Imagine society where if woman gets pregnant or divorce, it considered as whatever happened was woman’s fault. Imagine society where woman’s suffering of humiliation and degradation is considered as normal. Imagine work place where ratio of men-to-women work force is 100:1. Imagine uncivilized work place where you never know when woman get harassed by man by laying their filthy hands in woman’s private parts or constantly having fun by humiliating women by shouting vulgar words in working environment, you never know when woman taking stool in portable outhouse gets rocked and tipped over by men, you never know what’s in woman’s locker room – dildo in lunch box, sperm on cloths, or wall papers of obscene words written with wild animal’s stinky blood, you never know when you get raped - working alone in underground mines or secluded jungles of machines. Now, imagine this world existed in world’s most developed county; USA and more importantly events took place in modern times in last 30 years – That’s what frightens me.

As far as comparison of what actually happened in North Country and what shown in North Country movie, it seems like movie is 100% right regarding women’s treatment in mines by their male counterpart but movie fails to describe male’s point of view. It fails to show us complete picture of working environment in mines. In movie, men are sex hungry beasts and they don’t have any feelings for woman. In reality, men were playing pranks with women workers because there wasn’t always equal work for equal pay and male were furious with women’s lighter work in mines.

Apart from inspiring story, North Country is brilliantly photographed at real locations of Minnesota mines, snowy landscapes, and rustic neighborhood. As far as acting front, Charlize Theron as Josey Aimes is simply outstanding. Actress who worked with some very important projects like The Cider House Rules and Monster is the driving force of North Country. She is stunning depicting serious role of working mother fighting for her rights, fighting against centuries old customs, and surviving in the world dominated by males. It’s amazing to see actress like Charlize Theron who has beauty of a fashion model worked on some extraordinary unglamorous roles in recent past of her career. Charlize Theron aptly supported by incredible star cast that includes Frances McDormand (Fargo, Mississippi Burning), Sissy Spacek (3 Women, In the Bedroom), Woody Harrelson (Indecent Proposal, Natural Born Killers), Richard Jenkins, and Sean Bean.

Conclusion

I am not feminist but I have weak tendency of liking grim, dark, and emotional woman rights oriented movies. This kind of movies seems like my soul’s one of the most favorite food. This is one of those movies that stir you up, make you ponder, and make you mad. It’s a powerhouse movie with power-packed performances and power-punched storyline. It’s one of the best movies I have seen in recent times.

Note: Story is taken from Yahoo Movies.