North Country (2005)

A film inspired by the first ever successful sexual harassment class- action lawsuit against a corporation in U.S. history, North Country is based on the case of Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines. Charlize Theron turns in a powerful leading role as a coal miner who, along with her fellow female workers, endures a range of sexual harassment and assault. The film provides a clear road map for how to fight institutionalized injustice. While most people try to convince Josey to keep quite, keep her head down, and suffer through her work while being harassed, she refuses to take it and fights for her human dignity head on, in the process convincing several of her co-workers to join her struggle. The film features an excellent soundtrack of Bob Dylan songs, as well as excellent cinematography. The mine is always shot in wide angle, looming large over the landscape, often dwarfing Josey or her car in the foreground. It's a David vs. Goliath story, but with a powerful lesson in strategy against seemingly impossible odds. Bravery and perseverance in directly standing up to injustice and exploitation is contagious.

Notes on the 2005 U.S. film 'North Country', about a "Class Action" in Minnesota that was essential to the social-legal struggle for female emancipation, much like what is represented by the 2010 British film 'Made in Dagenham', which historically precedes it as an earlier part of the same struggle, but which primarily centers around the economic aspect of it.Thoughts on Josey's character.Knowledge does not equal intelligence, but rather may serve as a catalyst of an already existing potential, a latent force, which is human intelligence. In this sense, one can more rightly say that experience equals knowledge. To maintain that Josey's character is of "average intelligence", as some seem to do, counts as a continuation of one's, as once it was also her, ignorance about the essence of the female-human psyche, one's core identity and true source of power, and therefore, it is patriarchal condescendence. And it is exactly this cultural condescendence that she overcame through staying, or rather, becoming true to her core identity, unleashing a wealth of social and practical intelligence, and through sheer courage and perseverance, thus becoming a true and authentic leader in the emancipation of women, but firstly, of herself, and there is nothing "average" about that.Thoughts on the film.As for the dramatic and cinematographic qualities of 'North Country': this film gives the viewer a strong sense of location and reality, and it is a top-notch realistic socio-political, historical drama of a rare kind, meaning that its occurrence happens few and far between, and of which I mentioned another example, 'Made in Dagenham', that can and will make one think about, and re-think one's experiences and views, correcting aspects of one's perception through the relative wisdom of hindsight, and also affirming and deepening what one has already learned, or perhaps always suspected about the world, about people, and above all, about oneself. This film is as much about women as it is about men, the struggle for, and no less against, gender equality being the story whereby its main characters are driven, the ideal, and the necessity of final gender equality being its passionate, convincing message, and therefore this film is for women and men equally.Concluding my review, I'd say that 'North Country' represents a raw, but eloquent and important chapter in the continuing history of the gains and losses, the pain and victory that characterize all such essential human struggles. For its all-encompassing portrayal of the struggle for female emancipation, through the compassionate, clear analysis of one chapter of it, this film deserves a full house, and in more than one sense.

Set aside the aspect that the story is based on a landmark legal case, one that had profound impact around the world and never mind the drama that conveys how a battered mother of two was castigated, even by her own father, because she kept secret her rape by a teacher when she was sixteen; there are, in my opinion, nine good reasons for watching this movie, and they are: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Jeremy Renner, Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, Michelle Monaghan and Brad William Henke. Experienced, talented and all delivering very good performances. Theron and McDormand were nominated for Oscars in a year (2005) that did not lack in great movies and when the Oscars nominations were limited to five.In 2005-2006, I was not able to watch as many movies I have in recent years and so I overlooked this movie for too long. The cast is, as you obviously could tell, my first reason for picking this movie to watch recently. The box office was not a success, though ratings by critics and viewers alike were good to not bad; the storyline doesn't have what one would call entertaining appeal. However, for those who look for more than just entertainment, those who want an experience, this movie will deliver the goods. I was surprised how a few reviewers completely missed the point of the movie, focusing on the wrong things, the ones that, in life, don't matter all that much; instead I think I got the message that Michael Seitman was conveying through his script, and what McDormand, Bean and especially Harrelson were making. Theron had the least desirable part, that of the lead, because her character is one that made all the others shine; I can't think of too many movies that work in such a way.The closing credits inform the audience of the importance of the legal precedent and how money was never the issue; the movie uses the story to tell something more important about life than a legal struggle and if you get that, you are not only happier for having watched it, you are wiser than most. So with all that being said, you can determine if this movie is for you.

When some friends rented this and I was forced to watch it, I was far from thrilled. I'm more of a thriller, action, comedy, horror, anything but drama kind of guy. Most of the movie is quite boring. However, right at the end I discovered a story that was powerful and moving for me. At the end of the movie it is revealed that the main character was sexually assaulted by her teacher while in high school and he is the father of her son. Everyone thought her son's father was this pseudo-boyfriend she had in high school. Because of this, her father has resented her and almost seems to hate her since that happened. I got the feeling he thought his own daughter was white trash and looked down on her ever since she got pregnant in high school. The pseudo-boyfriend never said anything because he thought she was willingly sleeping with her teacher, which made him hate and resent her as well. She had never told anyone about the assault either, I guess out of shame and undeserved guilt. So all these years she had been carrying the burden of this terrible thing that had been done to her all alone. She was even more than alone, her own father was bitter against her because of her teenage pregnancy. Then at the end of the movie the teacher's terrible crime is finally revealed. The look on the father's face, as he realizes that all these years he's been bitter and resentful to his own daughter because of a terrible crime that was committed against her, was extremely powerful and moving. The guilt he felt for being a distant and unloving father, the rage at the attacker, the renewed love for his daughter, you can see him going through all these powerful emotions as the realization hits him. This is a story of the reconciliation between a father and daughter. The rest is all background noise. Call me an old softie if you will, I found her forgiveness of her father for all those terrible years to be amazing. The bond that was broken was restored and the monster that caused it was brought to justice. It is a beautiful story in the end, even more so because of all the foulness she has to endure to get there.