On the Basis of Sex, directed by Mimi Leder, was released Jan. 2019. The movie is the biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s life and journey through her academic career and her work as a lawyer before becoming a justice for the United States Supreme Court.

Actress Felicity Jones’ profound portrayal of Ginsberg in the movie highlighted the adversity of being a woman during a time where discrimination based on sex was not only the norm but also legal.

This movie is phenomenal in its storytelling about the life of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the monumental work she has done for women’s rights and gender equality in the 1970s.

Although the movie put some events of Ginsberg’s life slightly out of chronological order, it did a good job with focusing on what the director wanted to get across.

On the Basis of Sex wasn’t just a movie about a person who made an impact on American law and history, it was also a movie telling a story reflecting the struggles women faced and the fight to be treated seriously and fairly.

One thing I thought the movie should have made a note on was the payment gap Ginsberg was subject to during the time when she had job offers at law firms and the extent of the gender discrimination she faced.

Again, although the movie put some of her life events slightly out of order and did not include things I thought they should have, Leder successfully got the point of the movie across, which was Ginsberg’s fight for gender equality through the law.

I especially admired how the movie chose to highlight one of Ginsberg’s cases where she represented Charles Moritz (Chris Mulkey), a single man who wanted the caregiver tax deductible while caring for his ailing mother.

Moritz was not eligible to a caregiver tax deductible because he was a single, never married man and the deductible was only available to women, married or not, or a husband whose wife was incapacitated or institutionalized.

Ginsberg took on his case to argue the unconstitutionality of the caregiver tax deductible and noted the countless other laws that discriminated based on sex, whether for man or woman.

This is a movie I encourage everyone to watch because of the amazing storytelling and how great the acting is, along with the historical value it holds for United States history.

5 out of 5 stars