Lois E. Jenson vs. Eveleth Taconite Co. was a landmark case in American law. As the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in US history it not only changed the way in which sexual harassment lawsuits were presented, but dramatically changed sexual harassment laws in the US. “North Country,” the new film by director Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”) is a fictional account of these events, base upon Clara Bingham’s 2002 non-fiction book “Class Action: The Story of Lois Jensen and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law”
“North Country” is the story of Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron), a composite of Jenson and various other Eveleth women, who moves back to her hometown after leaving her abusive husband. While working as a hairdresser in the small Minnesota town Aimes runs into her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand). Glory mentions to Aimes that she works at the town’s taconite mine and sparks Aimes’ interest in the job, much to the horor of her parents played by Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins.
While at the mine Aimes and fellow female employees are phsyically, mentally and sexually abused by their male co-workers. They are mocked and tormented. Male employees put sex toys in their lunch boxes, desecrate their belongings and write expletives on the women’s locker room walls with excrement. They are ridiculed in their community, by both the men and the women. They are referred to as whores and lesbians. The men spread rumors about the women turning even their children against them.
The story is narrated by Aimes while she is giving her testimony in court. The film bounces between flashbacks and “real time” court testimony, adding an odd “Law & Order” aspect to the film that leads to an overblown ending that drains much of the films emotional impact created by several wonderful performances and the film’s gorgeous cinematography.
Frances McDormand gives one of the best performances of her carreer as Glory. Her character’s transformation from no-nonsense union representative to self-destructive Lou Gehrig’s disease patient is beautiful and tragic. Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins are phenomenal as Aimes’ parents and make Theron’s so-so acting look much better than it really is. Cinematographer Chris Menges bombards the film with desolate and isolated images, allowing the gorgeous Minnesota landscape envelope and conquer the characters.
In the end “North Country” amounts to a good film, with many fabulous aspects, that are sure to please but not necessarily inspire.
