Lawyers are a popular subject for movies. Depending on the story, they might be portrayed as cutthroat and cold-hearted, or as passionate and willing to sacrifice their well-being for justice. Some of the best compelling films about lawyers showcase the latter. In the real world, human rights lawyers face many challenges. They focus on human rights violations and the people most often victimized, such as women, racial minorities, refugees and members of the LGBTQ+ community. To see justice fulfilled, lawyers often face off against governments, corporations, the military and other powerful groups and individuals. Harnessing their expertise, lawyers help ensure human rights are upheld and that abusers are held accountable. Here are 13 movies about lawyers fighting for justice and human rights:
#1. Philadelphia (1993)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Mary Steenburgen
Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) works as a senior associate at a corporate law firm in Philadelphia. He’s gay but chooses to keep his sexuality and AIDS diagnosis private. After he’s fired for misplacing paperwork, Beckett suspects the firm learned about his illness. He decides to sue his former employer. Philadelphia was one of the first mainstream films to discuss homophobia, homosexuality and HIV/AIDs. Tom Hanks won an Academy Award for Best Actor, while the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. It’s inspired by the real-life story of an attorney who sued for wrongful dismissal in 1987.
#2. The Fight (2020)
Directors: Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg
This documentary follows a team of lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nonprofit human rights organization working to protect individual rights and liberties in the United States. Five legal battles are covered, including the opposition to the Trump administration’s travel ban, which targeted Muslims, and a rejection of the Trump order banning transgender personnel in the military. The four lawyers in the film – and the clients they represent – display powerful, heart-wrenching commitments to justice. The film won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
What do human rights lawyers do? Here’s our article describing the type of work this professional engages in.
#3. Marshall (2017)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson
Thurgood Marshall was the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. This legal drama centers on one of Marshall’s early cases: the State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell. In this 1940 case, a wealthy white woman accuses her Black chauffeur of rape. The event immediately draws the attention of the media, who create sensationalist headlines. It’s the perfect case to fuel racial stereotypes held by the nation. Marshall, who works as the NAACP’s head lawyer, defends Spell with the help of a local lawyer. While Spell’s boss claims he attacked her, Spell has a very different story. Will the truth come out?
#4. Dark Waters (2019)
Director: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Bill Camp
Corporate defense lawyer Robert Bilot (Mark Ruffalo) has his life turned upside down when a farmer (Bill Camp) from his grandmother’s hometown arrives at his office. The man wants Robert’s help investigating the chemical corporation DuPont. Robert is initially unsure of what he should do, but when he visits the farm himself, he grows more and more suspicious. Dark Waters follows Robert’s real-life quest to find the truth, the toll it takes on him and how he holds DuPont accountable for their deception. While Robert didn’t start as a human rights lawyer, his battle on behalf of those affected by the corporation’s actions certainly qualifies him.
Loading ...#5. Erin Brockovich (2000)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart,
In 1993, Erin Brockovich became a whistleblower against PG&E after she discovered the company contaminating the groundwater in Hinkley, California. She was a paralegal, and with attorney Ed Masry, they won their case against the massive corporation. Her story is the subject of the film Erin Brockovich, which stars Julia Roberts and Albert Finney. Brockovich would go on to work on other anti-pollution lawsuits and as a consultant and activist.
#6. Shahid (2012)
Director: Hansal Mehta
Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu
This film is based on the life of Shahid Azmi, an Indian lawyer. During the 1992 Bombay riots, Azmi was arrested. Because he was young and there wasn’t much evidence against him, he was released without jail time. As an adult, he is arrested again. This time, he spends seven years in jail based solely on a confession he never actually made. While imprisoned, he takes a distance course and becomes a lawyer. Following his release, Azmi begins defending others accused of terrorism. Passionate and driven, Azmi attracts the ire of many for his work. What will it cost him?
For those interested in studying human rights law, here’s our article on 12 of the best LL.M. programs.
#7. Just Mercy (2019)
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson
Harvard graduate Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves to Alabama to fight for those who can’t afford proper representation. With Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), he starts the Equal Justice Initiative and visits a prison to meet with death row inmates. There, he connects with Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a Black man given the death penalty for a murder he didn’t commit. Working within a complex and racist justice system, Stevenson fights to see that justice is done. Just Mercy is based on Stevenson’s award-winning memoir of the same name. Stevenson continues his work defending the human rights of people caught in the criminal justice system. He’s argued (and won) multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court.
#8. Advocate (2019)
Directors: Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche
Advocate follows the Jewish-Israeli human rights lawyer Lea Tsemel, who defends Palestinians accused of terrorism. Through archival footage of her career, which spans over five decades, as well as interviews with Tsemel, her family and her associates, the film explores the lawyer’s motivations for her work. Viewers also learn more about two contemporary cases Tsmele is involved with. She is a controversial figure, called a hero by some and a traitor by others. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Festival and has won many awards at festivals around the world.
Interested in human rights and social justice law? Here’s our guide on the job’s tasks, salary and career paths.
#9. Motley’s Law (2015)
Director: Nicole N. Horanyi
After seeing her father fight for the right to disability following a car accident, Kimberly Motley found herself drawn to the law. She earned a law degree and worked as a public defender in Wisconsin for five years, but in 2008, she traveled to Afghanistan for a legal education program. What she experienced led her to stay and become the first foreign attorney to practice in Afghanistan. Motley’s Law, an award-winning documentary, provides a look into her life and work for human rights. She’s represented children, journalists, activists and others whose rights are under threat.
#10. Gideon’s Army (2013)
Director: Dawn Porter
In 1961, a man was arrested for burglary. Clarence Earl Gideon didn’t have the money to hire a defense lawyer, but when he appeared in court alone and asked for a lawyer, the judge refused. In Florida, the court was only required to appoint counsel when the defendant was charged with a capital offense. Forced to represent himself, Gideon was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. The case that came from this incident, Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), determined that the right to counsel extends throughout every state and that those who can’t afford lawyers must be appointed counsel. As a result, Gideon was given another trial – this time with a lawyer – and was acquitted. Named after Gideon’s case, the documentary Gideon’s Army follows three public defenders committed to representing disenfranchised people in the Southern United States. It won the Candescent Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
#11. The Uncondemned (2015)
Directors: Michele Mitchell and Nick Louvel
For around 100 days in 1994, Hutu militias in Rwanda targeted the Tutsi minority ethnic group, enacting what is now known as the Rwandan Genocide. In 1997, Jean-Paul Akayesu, a former educator and politician from Rwanda, stood trial for 15 counts of genocide, violations of the Geneva Convention and crimes against humanity. The case was unique because it was the first trial to prosecute rape as a war crime and an act of genocide. The Uncondemned examines Akayesu’s trial. The film features three rape survivors, who anonymously testified, as well as the American prosecutors who developed the case against Akayesu.
#12. On the Basis of Sex (2018)
Director: Mimi Leder
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux
The biographical legal drama On the Basis of Sex explores the early career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. It begins with Ginsberg as a young student in law school. Following her graduation at the top of her class, Ginsberg learns no law firm will hire her because she’s a woman. She takes a job as a professor but soon finds an opportunity to challenge a sexist law in court. The film focuses on a specific case that jump-started Ginsberg’s career as a lawyer committed to striking down sex-based laws.
Gender inequality is an issue many human rights lawyers fight against. Here’s our article on what everyone should know about gender equality.
#13. Illegal Woman (2020)
Director: Ramon Térmens
Starring: Daniel Faraldo, Isak Férriz, Yolanda Sey
Fernando (played by Daniel Faraldo) works as an immigration lawyer in Spain. When his latest client, a sex worker at risk for deportation, is found dead in her cell, Fernando doesn’t believe the official story of suicide. He decides to investigate. With the help of his deceased client’s friend, Fernando risks his own safety to learn the truth. Illegal Woman is in Spanish. It doesn’t appear to be based on a true story, but it shines a light on the brutal treatment often faced by migrants and the lawyers working to protect their human rights.
