Article Tools
Charlize Theron continues her heroic tour of bad 80s hair in North Country, playing Josey Aimes, the fictionalized version of a woman who helped bring about the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in the late 80s and early 90s. Theron again disappears into character, and makes Josey’s decision to take on the male establishment seem brave yet natural; she doesn’t bathe in movie-star vanity, possibly because she makes a better actress than a movie star.
Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) doesn’t cut straight to the courtroom, either, taking time to fill in Josey’s tumultuous relationships with her father and her. The film shows genuine care for its supporting characters — more so than you might expect from a woman-versus-system movie.
But there’s only so much the actors can do. Knowing the movie is about a sexual harassment case creates a weird, restless tension early on; like the social drama equivalent of a slasher film, you wait for the awful things to happen so you can see who makes it out unbeaten (even though you can pretty much tell) The material is compelling but bound to a feel rote; respectability can be a brutal hump to get over.
Opens October 21
2L's
Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) doesn’t cut straight to the courtroom, either, taking time to fill in Josey’s tumultuous relationships with her father and her. The film shows genuine care for its supporting characters — more so than you might expect from a woman-versus-system movie.
But there’s only so much the actors can do. Knowing the movie is about a sexual harassment case creates a weird, restless tension early on; like the social drama equivalent of a slasher film, you wait for the awful things to happen so you can see who makes it out unbeaten (even though you can pretty much tell) The material is compelling but bound to a feel rote; respectability can be a brutal hump to get over.
Opens October 21
2L's
Comments (0)