US (2005): Drama
When Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota after a failed marriage, she needs a good job. A single mother with two children to support, she turns to the predominant source of employment in the region -- the iron mines. The mines provide a livelihood that has sustained a community for generations. The work is hard but the pay is good and friendships that form on the job extend into everyday life, bonding families and neighborhoods with a common thread.
Encouraged by her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), one of the few female miners in town, Josey joins the ranks of those laboring to blast ore from rock in the gaping quarries. She is prepared for the back-breaking and often dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other female miners encounter from their male coworkers proves far more challenging. When Josey speaks out against the treatment she and her fellow workers face she is met with resistance -- not only from those in power but from a community that doesn't want to hear the truth. Inspired by a true story, North Country follows Josey's journey on a road that will take her farther than she ever imagined, ultimately inspiring countless others, and leading to the nations' first-ever class action lawsuit for sexual harassment.
Niki Caro directs Michael Seitzman's screenplay. The film also features Sissy Spacek, Woody Harrelson and Sean Bean. (Warner Bros. - Web site)
2 nominations
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2005: Charlize Theron
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2005: Frances McDormand