Brigette Ginter
(Images: Magnolia Pictures)
By Brigette Ginter
In a political climate that can be very depressing at times, RBG brings hope, heart, and a large dose of level-headedness.
Before this film, I knew only very general information about the film’s namesake, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Justice of the US Supreme Court. Upon leaving I felt I knew her personally and professionally. Through interviews with Ruth, her family, her rivals, her supporters, her coworkers, her clients, and old film clips, RBG gives the audience a full picture of a remarkable woman.
RBG’s mission has always been gender equality…well, that’s not quite true. She was one of 9 women in a class of about 500 men to attend the prestigious Harvard Law School. She was also the first woman to make two major Law Reviews, Columbia and Harvard. However, when she graduated from Columbia she could not find a job due to her gender. Ruth’s credentials, unlike her male peers, did not speak for themselves.
It was at this time that RBG slowly began to realize her role; to educate those on how gender inequality actually hurts all genders, and to strive towards creating laws that protect women from discrimination.
What struck me about this film is how far we have come as a society. Although there is still a long way to go, it is thanks to strong individuals like RBG who fought for equality that we have more (not all) equal protection under the law. In the film, Ruth talks about how she saw her job at the beginning of her career: to demonstrate that gender inequality did in fact exist. Many of Ruth’s male colleagues were not even understanding that inequality based on gender was, in fact, an issue. Ruth’s approach actually made them listen.
I left the movie struck by the fact that it isn’t necessarily the loudest voice in the room that counts. It is the one that has longevity, consistency, patience, and the one that is righteous for the good of all humanity.
If you like documentaries, go see RBG, or as the film calls her, the “Notorious RBG.” And, even if you don’t like documentaries you should go…you will not regret it!
RBG will be playing at the Riviera Theatre on July 4th and July 5th. Go see it now before its too late!
Did the movie explain why RBG made her virulent anti-Trump comments in public, breaking decades of apolitical SCOTUS discretion.
One of my daughters recently told me she watched the TV program (Netflix) set in the 1950s that was very popular not long ago. I can’t remember the name but I think it was an office setting. Anyway, my daughter was shocked at how the women were treated in those years. I remember well, many men thought women were dumber than dirt and men could say or do anything they wanted in the work place.