Charlize Theron has set herself up for being typecast as the actress with model-like looks who is put in the most unglamorous roles possible. She did it two years ago in “Monster,” and now Theron is back in “North Country.” Perhaps it isn’t a bad thing, though, since she earned an Oscar for “Monster” and delivers a fantastic performance this time.

Theron plays Josey Aimes, a single mother in need of a job after leaving her abusive husband. When she finds she can make a substantial amount of money working in the Minnesota mines, she takes the job despite the disapproval of the community and her father. The mines turn out to be more than grueling work, though; they are a source of harassment and antagonism for herself and her few female co-workers.

After enduring defacement in the locker room, disgusting things in lockers and physical and verbal harassment, Josey decides to sue the mine with the help of a local lawyer, played by Woody Harrelson. “North Country” is based on the true story of the 1984 lawsuit filed by a female mine worker that marked the first successful sexual harassment case.

The movie does a superb job of showing the quiet terror of sexual harassment. Who is going to believe a woman who chooses to work in a mine with all those men? These women simply want to earn their pay just like the men, and they’re willing to put up with the persecution because they need the money more than they need to stand up for their rights.

Much of the tension in the film arises from the fact that the mine is the heart of the isolated community. The men who know what is happening to the women keep their mouths shut to protect their jobs and themselves. No one understands this better than Josey’s biggest antagonist, her former boyfriend and witness to her rape as a teenager. It explains why now, just like then, he can’t stand up for the helpless against those with control.

Theron is excellent in this film; she will likely earn her second lead actress Oscar nomination in three years for this role. This film seems to be dripping with a little too much ‘Eau de Oscar,’ however. It’s the type of film Academy voters will eat up because it’s the underdog story, and better yet, it’s true. “North Country” is the kind of movie that makes the audience want to stand up and take action against all sorts of travesties, particularly because it chronicles a situation that many experience and few mention.

Although the movie does seem to be tailored to the awards, Theron’s character works exceptionally well on a personal level. She’s not just a woman filing a law suit, she’s a victim trying to protect her children and future female workers. Most importantly, she wants respect. With such monumental source material, this film is as gritty as the mines featured in it.