Oracle Online

From the start of North Country, Charlize Theron’s Josey Aimes comes across as a Minnesotan Norma Rae, ready to pounce on every injustice the mine has to offer up. There’s no real explanation as to why this woman has suddenly entered the ring of social equality, nor is there any human frailty to empathize with; indeed, Aimes never once ponders quitting her fight, which I find incredibly unbelievable.
Which brings me to my second problem with issue filmsčbelievability. It seems odd to discuss the plausibility of these series of events as they did in fact happen. However, since this is Aimes’s story, there are some gaping holes in the supporting characters’ parts.

Frances McDormand’s union leader Glory never gives any explanation as to how she achieved her position in this predominantly men’s world. One would assume that, given the harassment situations constant through the film, it wouldn’t have been easy. Nor do they offer any substantial explanation on why she and the other women have absolutely no interest in joining Josey’s crusade. From a storyteller’s perspective, it may be intriguing to have it be a one-woman show, but that doesn’t seem at all logical.
Since it’s based off one woman’s account, there’s no way of knowing all of the other factors of the crusade, and the film is left unfulfilled. Fictional movies, or even historical dramas, don’t have this problem, as they are largely able to invent the supporting characters and their lives.

The biggest complaint I have about issue films is that they are so rarely of top quality, and I end up feeling guilty about disliking them. The media, which loves a good controversy, boils around how wonderful films like North Country or last year’s Hotel Rwanda are. When film connoisseurs argue that these are just cheap melodramas, it appears as though we’re attacking the issues themselves. It’s unfair, but true, and therefore it is the genre’s biggest caveatčeveryone is afraid to criticize it.

The issue genre has produced some sparing films that are of inarguable quality, though, and I’d recommend anyone catch these to see what this style of film could accomplish in the right hands. To Kill a
Mockingbird, though based on a book, stems from very real issues and is still one of the most heartbreaking movies to ever run across the screen. All the President’s Men is a well-acted and well-written take on corruption in politics. And, my personal favorite, 2000’s Traffic, which takes on every angle of the drug trade with ruthless honesty and full-fledged storylines. These movies reflect film first, and issues second, and in doing so, succeed on both fronts.