North Country | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Niki Caro |
Produced by | Nick Wechsler |
Written by | Michael Seitzman |
Based on |
Class Action by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler |
Starring | |
Music by | Gustavo Santaolalla |
Cinematography | Chris Menges |
Edited by | David Coulson |
Production
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Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date
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Running time
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126 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $35 million |
Box office | $25.2 million |
North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro, starring Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Richard Jenkins, Michelle Monaghan, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which chronicled the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company.
In 1989, Josey Aimes flees from her abusive husband back to her hometown in northern Minnesota with her children, Sammy and Karen, and moves in with her parents, Alice and Hank. Hank is ashamed of Josey, who had Sammy as a teenager by an unknown father, and believes Josey is promiscuous. While working as a hairdresser, Josey reconnects with an old acquaintance, Glory Dodge, who works at the local iron mine and suggests Josey do the same. Josey's pursuit of the job further strains her relationship with Hank, who also works at the mine, so she and her children move in with Glory and her husband Kyle.
Josey quickly befriends several other female workers at the mine, and soon realizes the women are constant targets for sexual harassment and humiliation by most of their male co-workers, who believe the women are taking jobs more appropriate for men. Josey in particular is targeted by Bobby Sharp, her ex-boyfriend from high school. Josey tries to talk to her supervisor Arlen Pavich about the problem, but he refuses to take her concerns seriously. The women experience additional harassment in retaliation, and Bobby spreads rumors that Josey attempted to seduce him, leading his wife to publicly berate and embarrass Josey at Sammy's hockey game. Sammy begins to resent the way the townspeople treat them, and comes to believe the gossip about his mother's alleged promiscuity.