"North Country" starts out with truckloads of potential. A solid cast, a director ready to break ground and a compelling story all add weight to its cargo.
The results, however, completely slap subtlety in the face. Melodrama, awkward pacing and an ending that is wrapped up much too neatly leaves the viewer with a gaping development hole and a few disturbing images.
Meet Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron of "Monster"), a mother of two who decides to leave her abusive husband after one too many bruised evenings spent in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. She packs up and takes the children back to her parents' home in Northern Minnesota.
Desperate to find work and finally savor her independence, Josey takes a job at the local mine, the place where her father Hank (Richard Jenkins of "Six Feet Under") also works at. He, like all the other men working there, believes women belong at home cooking and cleaning.
Josey and the other female miners are subjected to unspeakable acts of sexism, including lewd lunchbox surprises, bodily fluids plastered on the walls of the women's locker room and the threat of rape on more than one occasion.
The eventual solution is to sue the mining company, but obstacles are encountered on every front. As the women see it, things weren't so bad before Josey started all the commotion.
She's earning her own paycheck for the first time in her life and taking the kids out to dinner was never so satisfying, but Josey's tired of being shoved around. She takes her case to court and the rest, as they say, is history.
The film is based on real events that occurred during the first sexual harassment class-action lawsuit in 1989, a litigation that set precedent for harassment cases across the nation. Josey found inspiration in watching Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas play out the Coke can drama on her family's television.
Most of the movie's two hours is spent demonstrating the ugliness of chauvinism present in the workplace at the time.
After anger boils over in the soul of the viewer, the class-action lawsuit brought up against the mining company is resolved relatively quickly when compared to all the heart-wrenching persecution the viewer experiences through the eyes of the mining women.
Crisp camerawork contrasts heavily with the actual contents of the scene, a mine where the air is thick with more than just soot. Director Niki Caro ("Whale Rider") sets up the landscape well, using a fitting soundtrack rich with old Bob Dylan tunes.
Although Caro chooses the right actors for each part, weak dialogue and little to no character development make it difficult to get emotionally attached to the thin personalities.
Theron delivers a believable performance as Aimes, but walks a fine line between taking on a challenging role and blatantly Oscar-hunting. Richard Jenkins and Sissy Spacek, who play Josey's parents, shine with honesty but unfortunately are underused in the picture.
Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand also fall into the trap of over-the-top sentiment. The inadequacy of character background created a vacant chasm where their poorly formulated motives are brought into question.
The story behind "North Country" can resonate with anyone who has ever been told to "work hard, keep your mouth shut and take it like a man." It is a story that is powerful enough on its own to stir up passion, but when fused with overeager acting and a heavy hand, it topples under its own weight.
