North Country (film) 2148370 222976258 2008-07-02T00:21:03Z Numbo3-bot 7118326 robot Adding: [[pt:North Country]] :''This article refers to the 2005 film. For other meanings, see [[North Country]].'' {{Infobox Film | name = North Country | image = NorthCountryPoster.jpg | image_size = | caption = Original poster | director = [[Niki Caro]] | producer = [[Nick Wechsler]] | writer = [[Michael Seitzman]]<br>Inspired by a book by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler | narrator = | starring = [[Charlize Theron]]<br>[[Frances McDormand]]<br>[[Woody Harrelson]]<br>[[Richard Jenkins]] | music = [[Gustavo Santaolalla]] | cinematography = [[Chris Menges]] | editing = David Coulson | distributor = [[Warner Bros.]] | released = October 21, 2005 {{USA}}<br>February 3, 2006 {{UK}} | runtime = 126 minutes | country = [[United States]] | language = [[English language|English]] | budget = [[United States dollar|$]]30,000,000 | gross = $23,624,242 | preceded_by = | followed_by = | website = http://northcountrymovie.warnerbros.com/ | amg_id = | imdb_id = 0395972 }} '''''North Country''''' is a [[2005 in film|2005]] [[United States|American]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Niki Caro]]. The [[screenplay]] by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book ''Class Action: The Story of Lois Jensen 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 Co.|Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company]]. ==Plot synopsis== Josey Aimes, a single mother of two, leaves her abusive husband and moves in with her parents Alice and Hank, who works in the local [[iron mine]]. Her old friend Glory, who works as a truck driver there, encourages her to apply for a job, much to Hank's consternation, but Josey sees the high pay as an opportunity to provide a home and a decent life for her children. Working in a male-dominated field where the presence of women is resented, Josie and her female associates constantly find themselves subjected to [[sexual harassment]] and [[bullying]]. Her complaints to management go unheeded, and her co-workers, fearful of losing their jobs, refuse to support her efforts on their behalf. When Josie is physically attacked and no one comes to her defense, she quits. Josie hires attorney Bill White, a one-time local [[ice hockey]] champion who has left his [[New York City]] practice and returned home to work through some personal problems, to represent her in a lawsuit against her employer for failing to protect not only her but the other females as well. She tries to plead her case at a [[labor union]] meeting, but is shouted down. Her previously unsupportive father steps up and points out the men never would mistreat their wives and daughters the way they have their female co-workers and questions why they feel it is right to do so. Bill tries to file a [[class action]] lawsuit, but needs at least two other witnesses to do so. During the application for class action, Josey's sexual history is explored in detail. It is revealed her son was conceived when she was raped by a teacher, and when her high school sweetheart Bobby Sharp - one of her primary tormenters at the mine - acknowledges he witnessed the attack, Josey wins the support of not only most of her female co-workers, but many of the men as well. ==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 1985, 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 <ref>[http://sptimes.com/2005/10/20/Weekend/A_victim_rises_up.shtml "A victim rises up," ''St. Petersburg Times'', October 20, 2005]</ref>. The film was shot in in the towns of Eveleth, [[Virginia, Minnesota|Virginia]], and [[Chisholm, Minnesota|Chisholm]] in northern [[Minnesota]], [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], and [[Silver City, New Mexico|Silver City]] and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] in [[New Mexico]]. The soundtrack includes "Bette Davis Eyes" by [[Kim Carnes]], "Werewolves Of London" by [[Warren Zevon]], "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by [[Mac Davis]], "Wasn't That A Party" by [[The Irish Rovers]], "Girl Of The North Country" by [[Leo Kottke]], "I Drink Alone" by [[Jeremy Renner]], "Shake The House Down" by [[Molly Hatchet]], "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)" by [[Bellamy Brothers]], "Paths of Victory" by [[Cat Power]], and "Tell Ol' Bill," "Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)," "Sweetheart Like You," and "Lay, Lady, Lay" by [[Bob Dylan]]. 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 <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=northcountry.htm ''North Country'' at BoxOfficeMojo.com]</ref>. 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 <ref>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2005/NRTHC.php ''North Country'' at TheNumbers.com]</ref>. ==Principal cast== *[[Charlize Theron]] ..... Josey Aimes *[[Frances McDormand]] ..... Glory *[[Woody Harrelson]] ..... Bill White *[[Sissy Spacek]] ..... Alice Aimes *[[Richard Jenkins]] ..... Hank Aimes *[[Jeremy Renner]] ..... Bobby Sharp *[[Sean Bean]] ..... Kyle *[[Thomas Curtis (actor)|Thomas Curtis]] ..... Sammy Aimes *[[Michelle Monaghan]]..... Sherry *[[Rusty Schwimmer]] ..... Big Betty *[[Jillian Armenante]] ..... Peg *[[Linda Emond]] ..... Leslie Conlin *[[John Aylward]] ..... Judge Halsted ==Critical reception== On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 69% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 162 reviews <ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/north_country/ ''North Country at Rotten Tomatoes.com]</ref>. On [[Metacritic]], the film has an average score of 68 out of 100, based on 39 reviews <ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/northcountry ''North Country'' at Metacritic.com]</ref>. 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." <ref>[http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/10/21/movies/21nort.html ''New York Times'' review]</ref> 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 (film)|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." <ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051020/REVIEWS/51005002/1023 ''Chicago Sun-Times'' review]</ref> 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." <ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/21/DDGLFFB3HJ1.DTL ''San Francisco Chronicle'' review]</ref> 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 coincidental. Instead, we get a TV-movie fantasy of female empowerment glazed with 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 skin-deep." <ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/7222858/review/8589065/north_country ''Rolling Stone'' review]</ref> David Rooney of ''[[Variety (magazine)|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 (film)|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]]''." <ref>[http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_review/VE1117928151.html?nav=reviews07&categoryid=1986&cs=1&p=0 ''Variety'' review]</ref> In the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'', Steve Persall graded the film A and called it "deeply, undeniably moving . . . crusader cinema at its finest." <ref>[http://sptimes.com/2005/10/20/Weekend/A_victim_rises_up.shtml ''St. Petersburg Times'' review]</ref> ==Awards and nominations== *[[Academy Award for Best Actress]] (Charlize Theron, nominee) *[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] (Frances McDormand, nominee) *[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama]] (Theron, nominee) *[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture]] (McDormand, nominee) *[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]] (Theron, nominee) *[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] (McDormand, nominee) *[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture]] (Theron, nominee) *[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture]] (McDormand, nominee) *[[Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama]] (Theron, nominee) *[[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture]] (McDormand, nominee) *[[BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress]] (Theron, nominee) *[[BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress]] (McDormand, nominee) *[[Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards 2005|Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress]] (McDormand, '''winner''') ==See also== *[[Sexual harassment]] *[[Hostile environment sexual harassment]] *[[Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson|Michelle Vinson v. Merit One Savings Bank]] *[[Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services]] *''[[Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story]]'' ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://northcountrymovie.warnerbros.com/ Official website] *{{imdb title|id=0395972|title=North Country}} *[http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/JensonVsEvelethMines.html Jenson Vs. Eveleth Mines and North Country, the true story which served as the basis for the film] *[http://www.moviehole.net/news/20050923_6299.html Woody Harrelson interview] *[http://mynorthcountry.tripod.com About the filming of ''North Country''] {{Americanfilms2000s}} [[Category:2005 films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:Drama films]] [[Category:Feminist films]] [[Category:Legal films]] [[Category:Films based on actual events]] [[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]] [[Category:Films about the labor movement]] [[Category:Films shot in Super 35]] [[Category:Sexual harassment in the United States]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Warner Bros. films]] [[Category:Films set in Minnesota]] [[de:Kaltes Land]] [[es:En tierra de hombres]] [[fr:L'Affaire Josey Aimes]] [[id:North Country (film)]] [[it:North Country - Storia di Josey]] [[ms:North Country]] [[nl:North Country]] [[ja:スタンドアップ]] [[no:North Country]] [[pl:Daleka Północ]] [[pt:North Country]] [[simple:North Country]] [[sr:Северна земља]] [[tr:Tek Başına]] [[zh:對抗性侵犯]]