A Review By Janis Oct. 12, 2005

"I had the distinct privilege of attending an advance screening of NORTH COUNTRY on October 4th at the ArcLight Theatre in Hollywood. From the opening images, a beautiful sequence of aerial shots of the snowy Iron Range to the tense and moving courtroom scenes I found the film well-paced and compelling. The central performances by Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand,Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson and Richard Jenkins are strong and complex. They alone would be reason enough to see NORTH COUNTRY, but the additional incentives are many... beautiful and stark photography, an excellent soundtrack featuring several evocative songs by Bob Dylan (a nice touch since he is one of Minnesota's famous sons) and a very solid screenplay by Michael Seitzman which conveys the thrust of the class action suit against the mine by one of it's female employees who set legal precedent for sexual harrassment rulings. At it's heart the story is as much about the striving of a young single mother to carve out a place of her own for herself and two children by taking on the arduous work at the mine. Her battle to enlist the aid of her also-maligned and abused female co-workers is almost as daunting for her as the struggle engendered by dealing with the physical abuse and emotional blackmail from both the hostile men at the company and the management hierarchy. Her personal and family history present even further obstacles, making her resilience and emotional stamina all the more compelling. I feel fairly certain that NORTH COUNTRY will be recognized both for its artistry and the powerful message of human striving it contains, both by moviegoers and creative peers in the film industry."