William & Mary

Law Library Movies: Human Rights



# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z New Top 40

Law movies
10,000 BC (2008)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: **1/2
Format:  DVD  109 min. 
Plot: A prehistoric hunter sets out on a epic trek to rescue his beloved and secure the future of his tribe.
Cast: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis. Directed by Roland Emmerich.
Categories:  History  Action  Human Rights

Law movies
Andersonville Trial, The (1970)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****1/2
Format:  DVD  150 min. 
Plot: Adaptation of Saul Levitt's 1959 play about one of America's most notorious trials - the prosecution of the commander of an infamous Civil War P.O.W. camp that held 50,000 Yankee prisoners, 14,000 of whom died.
Cast: Martin Sheen, William Shatner, Buddy Ebsen, Richard Basehart, Cameron Mitchell, Jack Cassidy. Directed by George C. Scott.
Categories:  History  Military  Human Rights

Law movies
Beyond the Gates (2005)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  112 min. 
Plot: A Catholic priest and a young English teacher find themselves caught in the 1994 Rwandan genocide where they must choose whether to face death with the thousands of Tutsis or flee for safety.
Cast: John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz. Directed by Michael Canton-Jones.
Categories:  International  Human Rights  Discrimination

Law movies
Blade Runner (1982)
Rated:  R  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  117 min. 
Plot: A police assassin is assigned to hunt and kill genetically made criminal replicants in futuristic Los Angeles. (Director's cut.)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah. Directed by Ridley Scott.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  Human Rights  Action

Law movies
Blindness (2008)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  121 min. 
Plot: Afflicted with a mysterious blindness, a group of those infected must band together to survive a government-imposed quarantine.
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Yusuke Iseya, Yoshino Kimura, Don McKellar, Maury Chaykin, Mitchell Nye, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal. Directed by Fernando Meirelles.
Categories:  Disability  Medical  Human Rights

Law movies
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  97 min. 
Plot: A busy career woman decides to turn over a new page in her life by channeling her thoughts, opinions and insecurities into a journal that becomes a hilarious chronicle of her adventures.
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth. Directed by Sharon Macguire.
Categories:  Comedy  Romance  Human Rights

Law movies
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***
Format:  DVD  108 min. 
Plot: The British diarist returns, beset by petty jealousies and a choice between two suitors.
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones. Directed by Beeban Kidron.
Categories:  Comedy  Romance  Human Rights

Law movies
Casablanca (1942)
Rated:  PG  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  102 min. B&W
Plot: During WWII, a nightclub owner in Casablanca discovers his old flame is married to a French resistance leader with Germans on his tail. Won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid. Directed by Michael Curtiz.
Categories:  War  Human Rights  History

Law movies
Children of Men (2006)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  110 min. 
Plot: In a dystopian near-future, the human race has lost the ability to reproduce.
Cast: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
Categories:  Medical  Government  Human Rights

Law movies
Cruel and Unusual (2006)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  63 min. 
Plot: Five transgender women share their prison experiences.
Cast: Participants portray themselves. Directed by Janet Baus and Dan Hunt.
Categories:  Documentary  Sexuality  Human Rights

Law movies
Death and the Maiden (1995)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***
Format:  DVD  103 min. 
Plot: Fifteen years ago, a woman was taken prisoner and tortured by a sadistic doctor working for the government. Through a chance encounter, she meets the man she thinks is responsible.
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson II, Krystia Mova, Jonathan Vega, Rodolphe Vega. Directed by Roman Polanski.
Categories:  War  Government  Human Rights

Law movies
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  78 min. 
Plot: An examination of the prisoner abuse scandal involving U.S. soldiers and detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
Cast: Participants portray themselves.. Directed by Rory Kennedy.
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  War

Law movies
Girl Who Played With Fire, The (2009)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  129 min. 
Plot: As computer hacker Lisbeth and journalist Mikael investigate a sex-trafficking ring, Lisbeth is accused of three murders, causing her to go on the run while Mikael works to clear her name. Swedish or dubbed English dialogue; optional English subtitles.
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin, Lena Endre, Peter Andersson, Jacob Ericksson. Directed by Daniel Alfredson.
Categories:  Mystery/Suspense  Foreign  Human Rights

Law movies
Grey Zone, The (2001)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  108 min. 
Plot: A Nazi doctor, along with Jews who are forced to work in the crematoria of Auschwitz, find themselves in a moral grey zone.
Cast: David Arquette, Daniel, Benzali, Steve Buscemi, David Chandler, Allen Corduner, Harvey Keitel, Natashe Lyonne, Mira Sorvino. Directed by Tim Blake Nelson.
Categories:  International  Human Rights  Ethics

Law movies
Half the Sky (2012)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 3 hours, 52 min. 
Plot: Documentary on the oppression and girls worldwide in the 21st-century.
Cast: America Ferrera, Nicholas Kristof, Diane Lane, Dipti Mehta, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union, Olivia Wilde. Directed by Maro Chermayeff.
Categories:  Women  Documentary  Human Rights

Law movies
Her (2013)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  126 min. 
Plot: A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with a new computer operating system that's designed to meet his every need.
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams. Directed by Spike Jonze.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  Computer  Human Rights

Law movies
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  121 min. 
Plot: A humble hotel manager shelters more than a thousand "guests" from tribal genocide.
Cast: Xolani Mali, Don Cheadle, Desmond Dube, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tony Kgoroge, Rosie Motene, Neil McCarthy, Kid Sitholo, Nick Nolte, Fana Mokoena, Jeremiah Ndlovu, Sophie Okonedo. Directed by Terry George.
Categories:  International  Human Rights  Discrimination

Law movies
House I Live In, The (2012)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  108 min. 
Plot: A penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
Cast: Participants portray themselves. Directed by Eugene Jarecki.
Categories:  Documentary  Justice  Human Rights

Law movies
Human Flow (2017)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  140 min. 
Plot: A detailed exploration into the global refugee crisis.
Cast: Israa Abboud, Hiba Abed, Rami Abu Sondos, Fadi Abou Akleh, Yamama Al-Awaad, Asmaa Al-Bahiyya, Eman Al-Masina, Maya Ameratunga . Directed by Ai Weiwei.
Categories:  International  Documentary  Human Rights

Law movies
I, Robot (2004)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  114 min. 
Plot: In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruse Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk. Directed by Alex Proyas.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  Human Rights  Ethics

Law movies
Invictus (2009)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  134 min. 
Plot: Nelson Mandela finds hope of national unity on the rugby field.
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Julian Lewis Jones, Margaret Wheatley. Directed by Clint Eastwood.
Categories:  Biography  Human Rights  International

Law movies
Jarhead (2005)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 123 min. 
Plot: A marine's memoir of his experiences in boot camp through his combat in Desert Storm.
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper. Directed by Sam Mendes.
Categories:  Military  International  Human Rights

Law movies
Last Days, The (1998)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  87 min. 
Plot: This film details the stories of five people who survived the Holocaust in Hungary.
Cast: Bill Basch, Martin Basch, Dr. Randolph Braham, Alice Lok Cahana. Directed by James Moll.
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  War

Law movies
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  116 min. 
Plot: A Jewish man succeeds at romance with the help of his humor, and then must use that same quality to protect his son in a Nazi death camp. In Italian with English subtitles.
Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi. Directed by Roberto Benigni.
Categories:  International  Human Rights  War

Law movies
Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  94 min. 
Plot: Follows four cases brought before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigates the crimes of apartheid. In English and native languages with English subtitles.
Cast: Narration by Helen Mirren. Directed by Debra Hoffmann and Frances Reid.
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  Conflict

Law movies
Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 178 min. 
Plot: A young hobbit embarks on an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom.
Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom. Directed by Peter Jackson.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  War  Human Rights

Law movies
Lord of the Rings, The: The Return of the King (2003)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 200 min. 
Plot: Preparation for the final battle for Middle Earth.
Cast: Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Noel Appleby. Directed by Peter Jackson.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  War  Human Rights

Law movies
Lord of the Rings, The: The Two Towers (2002)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 179 min. 
Plot: New allies are formed and an assault is launched on Isengard.
Cast: Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Bruce Alpress. Directed by Peter Jackson.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  War  Human Rights

Law movies
Missing Link (2019)
Rated:  PG  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  Blu-ray/DVD  94 min. 
Plot: A Sasquatch, with the help of famed human explorers, travels to the Himalayas to meet his Yeti cousins.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana. Directed by Chris Butler.
Categories:  Animation  Human Rights  Environmental

Law movies
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Rated:  PG  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  94 min. 
Plot: A ragtag group of monsters is set loose by the government to combat an invading alien army.
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland. Directed by Rob Letterman.
Categories:  Animation  Comedy  Human Rights

Law movies
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (2011)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  96 min. 
Plot: A documentary exploring the sex-trade and the enslavement of more than 27 million people worldwide.
Cast: Christian Simpson, Jon Morgan Woodward, Sarah Agor, Julie Alexander. Directed by Benjamin Nolot .
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  Women

Law movies
Nell (1994)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ***
Format:  DVD  112 min. 
Plot: A young woman is found living alone in the backwoods of North Carolina, completely isolated from the rest of society.
Cast: Jodie Foster, Lian Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini. Directed by Michael Apted.
Categories:  Human Rights  Drama  Custody

Law movies
Oldboy (2003)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****1/2
Format:  DVD  120 min. 
Plot: After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Daesu is released and sets out to find his abductors. In Korean with English subtitles or English dubbed track.
Cast: Minsik Choi, Ji Tae Yu, Hyejung Gang. Directed by Chan-Wook Park.
Categories:  Foreign  Drama  Human Rights

Law movies
Omar (2013)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  96 min. 
Plot: A Palestinian freedom fighter agrees to work as an informant after he's tricked into an admission of guilt. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Cast: Adam Bakri, Leem Lubany, Waleed F. Zuaiter, Samer Bisharat. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
Categories:  Drama  Foreign  Human Rights

Law movies
Papillon (1973)
Rated:  PG  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  151 min. 
Plot: Based on the bestselling autobiography by Henri Charriere, a persistant convict plots his escape from French colonial prison in South America.
Cast: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
Categories:  International  Sentencing  Human Rights

Law movies
Pianist, The (2002)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****1/2
Format:  DVD  150 min. 
Plot: A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.
Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox. Directed by Roman Polanski.
Categories:  Human Rights  History  Foreign

Law movies
Platoon (1986)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  120 min. 
Plot: A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis. Won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Cast: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker. Directed by Oliver Stone.
Categories:  War  Human Rights  History

Law movies
Pride (2014)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  120 min. 
Plot: Gay activists raise money to support U.K. miners during a 1984 labor strike. Based on true story.
Cast: Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Andrew Scott, George MacKay, Joseph Gilgun, Ben Schnetzer. Directed by Matthew Warchus.
Categories:  Labor  Human Rights  History

Law movies
Pursuit of Equality (2005)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  80 min. 
Plot: Documents the compelling human rights struggles surrounding same-sex marriage.
Cast: Performers portray themselves. Directed by Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw.
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  Marital Relations

Law movies
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Rated:  PG  Stars: *****
Format:  DVD  94 min. 
Plot: At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers, a young girl decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp.
Cast: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, Ningall Lawford, David Gulpill, Kenneth Branaugh. Directed by Phillip Noyce.
Categories:  Family  Human Rights  Juvenile

Law movies
Room (2015)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  118 min. 
Plot: After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that has been his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery.
Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Megan Park . Directed by Lenny Abrahamson.
Categories:  Drama  Family  Human Rights

Law movies
Schindler's List (1993)
Rated:  R  Stars: *****
Format:  Blu-ray/DVD (2 disc set) 197 min. B&W/Color
Plot: A man hires cheap Jewish labor during WWII, turning his factory into a refuge from the Nazis. Won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, Embeth Davitz. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Categories:  Discrimination  Human Rights  International

Law movies
Sea Inside, The (2004)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  125 min. 
Plot: The story of Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die. In Spanish, with English subtitles.
Cast: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Dueñas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura. Directed by Alejandro Amenábar.
Categories:  Medical  Human Rights  Foreign

Law movies
Some Mother's Son (1996)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  112 min. 
Plot: Based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in a British prison.
Cast: Aidan Gillen, Fionnula Flanagan, Helen Mirren. Directed by Terry George.
Categories:  Biography  History  Human Rights

Law movies
Son of Saul (2015)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:    107 min. 
Plot: In Auschwitz concentration camp, a prisoner attempts to save the body of a boy he takes for his son from the flames. In Yiddish and German, with English subtitles.
Cast: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Jerzy Walczak. Directed by László Nemes.
Categories:  Foreign  War  Human Rights

Law movies
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Rated:  R  Stars: *** 1/2
Format:  DVD  150 min. 
Plot: A Polish-Catholic concentration camp survivor embroiled in a lovers' drama in post WWII Brooklyn.
Cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol. Directed by Alan J. Pakula.
Categories:  Human Rights  War  Immigration

Law movies
Soylent Green (1973)
Rated:  PG  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  97 min. 
Plot: In an overpopulated future dystopia, a police detective uncovers a terrible government secret.
Cast: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-young, Chuck Connors, Joseph Cotton, Brock Peters, Paula Kelly, Edward G. Robinson. Directed by Richard Fleischer.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  Law Enforcement  Human Rights

Law movies
Spartan (2004)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  107 min. 
Plot: A lone wolf secret agent, is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking government figure, only to discover along the way a larger, more sinister plot.
Cast: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill. Directed by David Mamet.
Categories:  Government  International  Human Rights

Law movies
Stalag 17 (1953)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  120 min. B&W
Plot: Set in a German POW Camp for enlisted American airmen, a spy is discovered to be living in one of the prison barracks after an escape attempt fails resulting in the deaths of two inmates.
Cast: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger. Directed by Billy Wilder.
Categories:  War  Drama  Human Rights

Law movies
Stepford Wives, The (2004)
Rated:  PG-13  Stars: **1/2
Format:  DVD  92 min. 
Plot: A wildly successful president of a TV Network who suffered a nervous breakdown discovers that all the housewives in Stepford are strangely blissful.
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, Faith Hill, Glenn Close. Directed by Frank Oz.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  Human Rights  Gender

Law movies
Stoning of Soraya M., The (2009)
Rated:  R  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  116 min. 
Plot: An arranged marriage comes to a tragic ending in Iran, in 1986.
Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban, David Diaan. Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh.
Categories:  Documentary  Drama  Human Rights

Law movies
Superman II (1981)
Rated:  PG  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD (2 disc set) 127 min. 
Plot: Superman battles a trio of super powered villains.
Cast: Christopher Reeves, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper. Directed by Richard Lester.
Categories:  SciFi/Fantasy  War  Human Rights

Law movies
These Birds Walk (2013)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  71 min. 
Plot: The lives of a runaway boy and an ambulance driver in Karachi come together through a dying humanitarian. In Pashtoto with English subtitles.
Cast: . Directed by Omar Mullick & Bassam Tariq.
Categories:  Documentary  Foreign  Human Rights

Law movies
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Rated:  G  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  Blu-ray/DVD  100 min. 
Plot: A road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves . Directed by Josh Cooley.
Categories:  Animation  Human Rights  Property

Law movies
Trials of Henry Kissinger, The (2003)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  80 min. 
Plot: A film about the war crimes of the American diplomat, Henry Kissinger.
Cast: Henry Kissinger, Brian Cox, Anna Chennault, Amy Goodman, Alexander Haig, Seymour Hersh. Directed by Eugen Jarecki.
Categories:  Documentary  Human Rights  Government

Law movies
War Don Don (2010)
Rated:  NR  Stars: ****
Format:  DVD  83 min. 
Plot: Documents the trial of Issa Sesay, former general of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), accused of war crimes in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Cast: Participants portray themselves.. Directed by Rebecca Richman Cohen.
Categories:  Documentary  War  Human Rights

Law movies
Whistleblower (2010)
Rated:  R  Stars: ***1/2
Format:  DVD  112 min. 
Plot: When Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac accepts a U.N. peacekeeper position in postwar Bosnia, she discovers a deadly sex trafficking ring.
Cast: Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Anna Anissimova. Directed by Larysa Kondracki.
Categories:  Biography  Drama  Human Rights

The Wolf Law Library welcomes your suggestions for additions to the Feature Film Collection! If there is a law-related movie you feel we might be missing, please submit your suggestion to the Circulation & Reserve Desk at lawcir@wm.edu.

You can view a list of all law library movies in the online catalog.