Where On the Basis of Sex was a dramatized look at a relatively narrow window in Ginsburg's life before the Supreme Court, RBG takes a broader look at her entire life, focusing mostly on her time as a justice. It's not a film trying to present a traditional underdog narrative; it's here to celebrate the achievements of a woman who would rarely call attention to herself.
Where the two films overlap is in the sense they give you of Ginsburg's time in law school. Both make clear how hard she had to work, how dismissive so many people around her were, and how she skillfully juggled the demands of her education (and her husband's, as he battled cancer) with raising children. But after that, On the Basis of Sex focuses solely on her first major case -- argued in front of the Tenth Circuit, not the Supreme Court. RBG would rather you understand just how much she accomplished throughout her life.
In RBG, you see how the incremental approach suggested in On the Basis of Sex actually played out over the years. You hear about most of the six cases she argued before the Supreme Court during the 1970s (winning all but one). You see the patience and strategic prowess she brought to bear on changing minds and changing lives. It's uplifting, affirming, and powerful to watch.
Finally, the movie settles into RBG's later years on the court -- and this last section of the documentary left me considerably more conflicted in emotion. These were the years in which Ginsburg actually become most famous and celebrated. These were the years in which she became The Notorious RBG, the Great Dissenter. On the one hand, her patient but firm reasoning was the same here as it was in the 1970s, and the fact that she continued on in that mission, that righteousness, that certitude, is inspiring. She never wavered and she kept fighting, staying true to principles that had always served her well in life.
On the other hand... she was dissenting in all these major cases that represented a huge erosion of rights and freedoms. She -- and we -- were losing these cases. Ledbetter, a refutation of gender equality that had to be corrected by Congress and President Obama's first major action after inauguration. Shelby County, the voting rights erosion that led directly to the widespread poll and dropbox closures, and hours-long lines, that we see today. Hobby Lobby, the decision allowing for-profit corporations to claim their own religious beliefs, and force them onto all their employees. Ginsburg wrote a powerful dissent in all these cases (and more), dissents that will hopefully, one day, be the argument that carries the day.
And yet, they're dissents. Losses. It's hard not to look on this final section of the movie, especially watching it now, after Ginsburg's passing, and see a lot of defeat mixed in with the triumph. It magnifies the emotions surrounding her death, and let's be honest: 2020 has been a year where magnified emotions don't generally feel very good.
That said, though... it has long been the case that conservatives are generally more motivated to vote with court composition in mind than progressives. There are signs now that with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, that status is flipping. I do believe if more people watched this documentary and understood just how much RBG accomplished in her life, exactly what rights she saw vindicated in the law, and exactly what direction she'd hoped to steer the court, that would indeed be more motivating to more people.
And so even though I'd probably grade the movie a B "as a film," I would regard it as essential viewing, and strongly recommend people watch it. (Especially if you haven't voted yet or made your plans to. Get on that!)
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