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.
DVD Features: Deleted Scenes Documentaries
A sterling cast and vivid direction give North Country an emotional heft to match its political convictions. Charlize Theron (Monster) plays Josey Aimes, who goes to work at a Minnesota steel mine after splitting with her violent husband.
Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron in North Country.
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, but none of the other women will join her case for fear that things will only get worse. North Country, directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider), makes the women's experience palpable for the audience without overdoing it. But the lawsuit is only part of the movie; the gut impact of North Country comes from the devastating effect the lawsuit has on Josey's family, friends, and coworkers--thanks to an incredible ensemble cast that includes Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings), Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under), Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt), and the always powerful Frances McDormand (Fargo, Mississippi Burning). The courtroom histrionics don't always ring true, but the family conflict is riveting and deeply moving. Based on the book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Could have been stronger:
After seeing North Country in the bargain bins at nearly every video store, I took the $4 plunge. I caught part of the 2005 film on television, and hey, Sean Bean is in it, so why not? After leaving her abusive husband, Josey (Charlize Theron, Monster) takes a job at the Pearson Mines to support her two children, Sammy (Thomas Curtis) and Karen (Elle Peterson). Her father Hank (Richard Jenkins), also a miner, disapproves of Josey's job, as do most of the male miners. Union representative Glory... more info
North Country Review:
This was a movie that completely took me off guard in so many ways. Based on a true story, it made it even more compelling. The story of a young wife who was beaten, so took her 2 children and fled to start over at her parent's home. She had kept a secret for years that had cost her reputation in the town and with her own family. She took a job for a mining company when women working in the field was very rare. She and the other women suffered horrendous working conditions, as they all fight hard... more info
One of those instances where a heavy hand would have been welcome...:
It's true that `North Country' sports a weighty message; but it is also true, very true, that for the most part that heavy message manages to feel light. A lot of directors struggle with finding a balance between sentiment and saccharine; between weighty importance and muddy self-importance. Some directors have made a career out of defining this genre or brand of drama (take Ron Howard and Penny Marshall for instance) and yet still others have attempted and failed at the very same feat. In this regard,... more info
North Counrty:
Oscar winner Chalize Theron stars in 'North Country'. -All she wanted to do was work and be able to earn a living at her job -- nothing doing!!! Wonderful movie in the way 'Silkwood' was a wonderful movie... Doing the Best they can: This type of GRIT and earned success doesn't come around everyday: Senator Hillary Clinton has it: In the 2008 Presidential Primary race, Hillary Clinton not only earned more votes than any of her rivals, she earned more votes than any other Presidential Primary candidate in the... more info
