Hello,

I went to see the film North Country, the new film by Whale Rider director Niki Caro, which tells the story of a landmark class action suit. Set in Northern Minnesota (it's not called South country), the film stars Charlize Theron once again deglamorized yet not as hideous as she was in Monster. Theron plays Josey Aimes, a woman who leaves her abusive husband, moves in with her parents and attempts to start over by finding good paying work at the local mine. The problem is the mine is a veritable den of testosterone and harrassment and Josey is a girl no matter how tough she claims to be. The men start out harrassing Josey (the other women have resigned themselves to it) but they start small. Little things like comments and leering looks but once she starts the complaining the men start turning it up a notch. BAM! Josey is groped. BAM! Dirty words are written on the walls of the women's changing room with something truly dirty. And in one truly disgusting scene a couple of the guys topple over a port-a-potty with one of the women inside. While the acts of the men are shocking and appalling, I felt as if the director was intentionally trying to outdo himself with each new act.

Theron does a good job in the acting job, although she doesn't have the emotional heft of Sally Field in Norma Rae and is not as riveting as Meryl Streep in Silkwood. Also her beauty is an asset and a distraction. Her character is accused numerous times of being a tease and of "asking for what she gets" and the fact that she is not as homely as the other women made me not totally believe a woman with her looks would work in such a place.

The film is inspired by actual events which only means there was an actual case and events leading up to the case and the case itself were used for the movie but no doubt a lot of adding and tweaking were used.

The film is played out with the Anita Hill hearings playing in the background. Hill's story is the same one only on a larger scale. And in one scene we see a clip of the quintessential tv show about sexual harrassment in the workplace: Alice.

The supporting cast is wonderful: Sissy Spacek (with not enough to do) and Richard Jenkins as Josey's parents; Woody Harrelson as the lawyer who takes Josey's case; and Frances McDormand (who I wouldn't be surprised to see nominated for this role) as Josey's friend and the labor union rep.

I can see Caro getting a director nom but I don't see the film getting nominated for best picture.