North Country
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Charlize Theron)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
North Country affirms that truth will set you free, that lives can be renewed and that you are not alone. In the middle, the movie tells the story of a single mother, a working mother, a mother who believes she can attain more for her children.
Josie Aimes (Theron) flees with her two children from an abusive husband, running into the apathetic lives of her parents (Spacek and Jenkins.) In the process of trying to establish her independence, she becomes one of 20-some women who work in the mine in Northern Minnesota. Her son Sammy (Curtis) butts heads with her over her decisions and their animosity grows. Nothing can prepare Aimes for what awaits her in the mine as she seeks a fresh start. Her desire to differentiate herself from her past drives her into the darkness of the mine, and of the souls of the men there.
The beauty of North Country is that no one starts off evil. The sins that each person commits are at first small but grow as their frustration or misguided desires darken their outlook. For the men of the mine, their actions toward the women who work there are reprehensible from the very beginning, but their actions escalate as they become infuriated by Aimes. For Aimes, her present and future are impossible dreams until she deals with the sins others committed against her in the past. The actions Aimes takes seem obvious to us today but the movie shows the importance of Aimes’ class action suit and its impact on the working world. My advice to any man is to see the movie to question sexual harassment/abuse, just like I might advise most folks to see Crash to begin a discussion on racism or classicism.
In the northern country, everyone gets their shot at redemption…and sometimes they get more than one. Apathetic people are forced to take action, as Aimes finally finds that she is being heard. One character asks why the miners would act differently toward her as a co-worker than they did while she was his daughter at the company picnic; others act in small defenses but finally are forced to stand out in front of everyone. We are certainly guilty of this in different situations, showing different faces depending on location. North Country takes it a step further for those of faith: in one scene, a woman takes turns consoling Aimes’ mother, and talking about her behind her back…in church.
I’m biased. I think the Christian community should be the place where the abused, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the unheard, find healing and truth. Speaking for truth can never go unnoticed as we see in North Country. Apparently the pessimists are wrong, and one person can make a difference and truth can set you free. It certainly sets Aimes and her son free, and appears to have done the same for Aimes and her father. We stand quietly and watch others in need, but North Country charges us to take a stand.
By the time I was through watching the film, I felt like I had seen a movie on the breakthroughs or tragedies of race or religion, like Mississippi Burning or Schindler’s List. Unlike some of our other Oscar options, this fictionalized account ends well for the characters we care about succeeding. The wrapping up of all loose ends is possibly the only disturbing portion of the movie, as I wonder, how many people would vote it for an Oscar and not stand up against injustice the next time they see it?
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Charlize Theron)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Charlize Theron)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
North Country affirms that truth will set you free, that lives can be renewed and that you are not alone. In the middle, the movie tells the story of a single mother, a working mother, a mother who believes she can attain more for her children.Josie Aimes (Theron) flees with her two children from an abusive husband, running into the apathetic lives of her parents (Spacek and Jenkins.) In the process of trying to establish her independence, she becomes one of 20-some women who work in the mine in Northern Minnesota. Her son Sammy (Curtis) butts heads with her over her decisions and their animosity grows. Nothing can prepare Aimes for what awaits her in the mine as she seeks a fresh start. Her desire to differentiate herself from her past drives her into the darkness of the mine, and of the souls of the men there.
The beauty of North Country is that no one starts off evil. The sins that each person commits are at first small but grow as their frustration or misguided desires darken their outlook. For the men of the mine, their actions toward the women who work there are reprehensible from the very beginning, but their actions escalate as they become infuriated by Aimes. For Aimes, her present and future are impossible dreams until she deals with the sins others committed against her in the past. The actions Aimes takes seem obvious to us today but the movie shows the importance of Aimes’ class action suit and its impact on the working world. My advice to any man is to see the movie to question sexual harassment/abuse, just like I might advise most folks to see Crash to begin a discussion on racism or classicism.
In the northern country, everyone gets their shot at redemption…and sometimes they get more than one. Apathetic people are forced to take action, as Aimes finally finds that she is being heard. One character asks why the miners would act differently toward her as a co-worker than they did while she was his daughter at the company picnic; others act in small defenses but finally are forced to stand out in front of everyone. We are certainly guilty of this in different situations, showing different faces depending on location. North Country takes it a step further for those of faith: in one scene, a woman takes turns consoling Aimes’ mother, and talking about her behind her back…in church.
I’m biased. I think the Christian community should be the place where the abused, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the unheard, find healing and truth. Speaking for truth can never go unnoticed as we see in North Country. Apparently the pessimists are wrong, and one person can make a difference and truth can set you free. It certainly sets Aimes and her son free, and appears to have done the same for Aimes and her father. We stand quietly and watch others in need, but North Country charges us to take a stand.
By the time I was through watching the film, I felt like I had seen a movie on the breakthroughs or tragedies of race or religion, like Mississippi Burning or Schindler’s List. Unlike some of our other Oscar options, this fictionalized account ends well for the characters we care about succeeding. The wrapping up of all loose ends is possibly the only disturbing portion of the movie, as I wonder, how many people would vote it for an Oscar and not stand up against injustice the next time they see it?
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Charlize Theron)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
2 Comments:
Good job Jacob on the review. You brought up things that I overlooked in my review and others that I wanted to touch on but decided to go in another direction. I would note that North Country is based on a true story. I eapecially appreciate your comments regarding the fact that no one in the movie really started out evil, but one little thing turns into another. Another point is the redemptive nature of confession as is illustrated by one of the lead characters towards the end of the movie. I won't give anything up other than to say that the character who decides to give up red on the ice instead of yellow, has their own struggles to go through. It is nice to see a film that challenges the viewer with those options.
Thanks, Mike! I appreciate your kind remarks. North Country definitely provided brightness in the midst of tragedy-- confession and reconciliation/forgiveness seem wound together by the end. The red/yellow ice mirrors a blue/red pill choice from the Matrix. Reality is key.
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