North Country Review by Clint Morris
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There was once a
time when you had to adorn pearls, a Lord and Taylor dress, pair of
Manolo Blahnik's Ankle-Chain Sandals and sway a platinum card from your
neck to gain admission into the big-boys – or in this case, girls
– club.
Not anymore. Seems the ‘No shoes, No Shirt, No
Service’ rule went out with moonshine. These days, you’re
almost guaranteed a spot on the red carpet if you’re a little
grubbed-up, your hair’s bordering on a web, and you’re
lippy-free – just ask Charlize Theron.
After playing the
glamour-puss for most of her career, one of Tinseltown’s tightest
babes decided to go undercover as her polar opposite – a frumpy,
un-moisturised, dishevelled other, in the film Monster, and was
whisked past the velvet rope and into the Kodak theatre quicker than
you can say “…And the winner is”.
As the
people of Kentucky did when they stumbled upon the local
colonel’s chicken recipe, Theron’s found a good thing and
she’s sticking to it. Once again, she leaves the designer duds
and freshly washed trestles behind for North Country, and by golly
if she doesn’t once again divert all eyes to her performance. If
this is what a stunningly beautiful actress has to do to get more
credit for her acting chops, rather than her spectacular storks, so be
it. And what woman would complain? After all, that’s an hour less
in make-up every morning.
Truth be told, Theron looks a goddess
here than when she appeared in Monster – in which she played homicidal
killer Aileen Wournos – and though she’s supposed to be
dirt poor, is dressed in third-hand rags, and is smothered in dirt and
grime for most of the film, she still looks a doll. Luckily, her
performance is just as striking – so beauty doesn’t take
anything away from that beast.
Inspired by a true story (written
about in the book "Class Action: The Story of Lois Jensen and the
Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law" by Clara Bingham and
Laura Leedy), North Country tells of a down-on-her-luck mother of two
named Josey Aimes (Theron) who returns to her hometown in Northern
Minnesota after her marriage goes boom. Desperate for work, she accepts
a job at the local iron mines – working alongside old friend
Glory (Frances McDormand) – but discovers pretty quickly that the
men that work there, rule there.
With only a handful of women on
staff, the bullying blokes find it rather easy to overawe the women
– calling them names, playing evil pranks on them, coming onto
them, the list goes on. But Aimes decides to stand up.
With
the help of a kindly lawyer (Woody Harrelson), the distraught Aimes
tries to convince her fellow female co-workers – who are
reluctant to rat on their male co-workers, for fear of losing their
jobs – to take the company to court.
A thought-provoking
and rather stirring film, North Country is a rare occasion when the
most well-oiled performance bus in town crashes head on with a
well-tuned story.
The script is tight and effective, the
direction (from Whale Rider’s Niki Caro) is proficient, and
most of all, the performances of Theron – and several of the
supporting characters, including Harrelson, McDormand and the always
underrated Richard Jenkins – will stick to you like adhesive glue
to a sneaker.
One of the finest and most captivating films
you’re likely to see this year, North Country – and
Theron – deserves spectatorship.4 out of 5
North Country
Australian release: 2nd February, 2006
Cast: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean
Director: Niki Caro
Website:
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