Ruth (Felicity Jones) studied at Harvard Law School in the 1960s, one of only 9 women in her class. In fact, the dean of the school, Erwin Griswold (Sam Waterston), when asking the females of the class to introduce themselves, asks for their name and why they are taking a place in the class that “could have been occupied by a man”. This is just the beginning of a long journey into the discrimination that existed at the time (and in many cases still exists), discrimination purely “on the basis of sex”.
Along with her husband Martin (Armie Hammer), Ruth vows to fight this discrimination, that she believes goes all the way back to the US Constitution.
The two of them, with daughter Jane (Cailee Spaeny) and ACLU lawyer Mel Wulf (Justin Theroux) open the biggest can of worms to hit the US Justice system in its day.
That’s enough on plot, I think; I’ll let you discover it for yourself (believe me, it’s worth it).
The strongest element of this film is the script, written by Daniel Stiepleman. Every line of dialogue is expertly crafted, and each scene and sequence perfectly paced and structured.
Mimi Leder’s direction is even-handed and balanced, tightly paced. Every shot is framed beautifully, allowing for the impeccable production design and costume design to shine through. This film will transport you back to the 1970s (if you were there, that is. If you weren’t, this will educate you as to what it was like, though).
Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer are perfect in the two lead roles. I never doubted for a second that they had a history together, and that their connection as a couple was real.
Other cast members include Kathy Bates as fellow lawyer and pioneer Dorothy Kenyon, and Stephen Root as Professor Brown of Harvard Law School.
There really isn’t much more that can be said about this film. I think the saddest part of the film is the fact that it is all true, and that the laws as they stood at the time (which wasn’t that long ago, and in some cases, some laws are still yet to be changed) were so discriminatory to women, who make up a higher proportion of the population than men, yet the law does not reflect this.
The moment when the battle finally reaches the courtroom is most definitely the highest peak of the film, and it is well worth waiting for.
And keep your eyes peeled for an appearance by the real Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
9 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment