<i>North Country</i>

By: Sunil Noronha
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The movie tells the story of Josie Aimes. She moves out from living with her lover who abuses her. She goes back home where she gets flak for cheating on the man to deserve it. To make a living Josie Aimes (played by Charlize Theron) gets recruitment at a hair salon. Considering the fact that a job as a miner will pay her more, she applies for one. Both her boss and her father disagree with her getting the job saying that it is a man's job. (The reason behind it is that it a man's job and that he will be deprived of it one if a woman takes it-a man supports a family and he needs a job to support one). She could found herself in no position unlike that man of the man were talking about. Being unoppressed as a woman and beautiful at the same time brings about a lot of reason for abuse. This particular characteristic of the movie makes Charlize Theron a meant-to-be for this kind of a role. She has a name for doing what one might call "intelligent'n beautiful"/enchanting but yet thought provoking roles wherein a powerful message is put across through the role, which is played by a beauty like her-where the physical attraction quotient is on the level with the intelligibility of the movie. Josie's character in the movie is sourced from that of Lois Jenson in real life who filed the first ever class action lawsuit for sexual harassment-the first ever to be filed in the history of the nation. Josie eventually files suit with which she is helped by a litigator played Woody Harrelson. He agrees to help her with the lawsuit because it is law "ground" that has not been walked on before.

The movie is not like the average movie about womens rights. The glamour here is that of noble quality, that of individuality and self-respect of a woman in a very very mans world (considering that it is set in the 1970's). One thing the movie makes very clear is that despite the rants of feminine freedom'n liberation especially in terms of the hold that society has over them and the restrictions that society have placed on them, there are some who can afford to stand up for their due rights and there are also some for whom survival is more important any kind of freedom. They cannot afford to rebel because their survival is more important and they are unable to do both at the same time. It speaks the loudest of the sexual harassment that is now quite prevalent. Despite a law being passed against it, it continues to be rampant. It is in the minds of people that a law is to be set. The movie shows that a rule enforced by the government doesn't necessarily change the society and its mindset.

The cast of the movie includes Richard Jenkins and Sissy Spacek who play Hank and Alice Aimes, Jodie's Parents. Elle Peterson, Thomas Curtis, Jeremy Runner, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean and James Cada form the rest of the cast of the movie.