On the Basis of Sex

This movie portrays the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice. It covers several years of her life, over a 20 year span.

The film begins when Ginsburg is an incoming law student at Harvard Law School in 1956. In those days, women went to university to find a husband. In this case, Ruth was already married to Martin Ginsburg. In a a time when women were expected to work within the home, Martin encouraged his wife to do everything she wanted to, which included becoming a lawyer.

In one of the first scenes in the film, Ruth and Martin are at a dinner party, at the home of the dean of the law school. Every law student was encouraged to stand and introduce themselves; in the case that the student was a woman, she was instructed to explain why they were admitted, taking the place that should have been given to a male student.

A few years into her education at Harvard, Ruth and Martin moved to New York, and she transferred to Columbia University. Upon graduation, she became a professor of law.

One of the popular topics in her classroom was gender equality. She brought up examples of how men and women are not protected equally under the law. For example, if a woman became pregnant, her employer could fire her.

The movie comes to a nail biting conclusion when Ruth argues a case before the Colorado state Supreme Court, involving a case of gender equality. The surprising thing about the case: the defendant is a man.

The movie is a snapshot into the life of Justice Ginsburg in the beginning of her life and of her practicing law before the courts. While the movie is well made, it made me yearn to watch "RBG", the documentary about Ruth, which encompasses most of her life.

 3 stars.

RBG trailer: