Movie wrestles with value of life
By Randall Elvin · Entertainment Editor
How much is your life worth?
That question is the central aspect of “Worth.” This 2020 Netflix film stars Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer put in charge of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. His role is to determine how much money goes to the families of people killed in the attacks.
Calculating the monetary value of someone’s life is daunting. Feinberg initially tries to include factors like a victim’s earnings and potential earnings to get a dollar amount tied to their name. But the problem is obvious. If you make more money than other people, is your life worth more? How can you possibly quantify someone’s value?
Numerous films tell stories relating to these tragic attacks. Robert Pattinson starred in “Remember Me,” which ends by revealing the date — Sept. 11, 2004 — as a surprise twist. “Fahrenheit 9/11” is a political documentary that examines the Bush administration’s actions in response to the attacks. “Worth” is nothing like these movies. Instead, it investigates the greed, morality and uncomfortable side of the tragedy. Corporations are worried about lawsuits. Lawyers stress liability. Families are desperate to receive enough money to keep living. All these different interests fight and provide no mutually happy ending. This conflict is the driving factor behind the movie.
Through this movie, Keaton shows a side of himself not always shown in his other movies, including “Beetlejuice,”
“Batman,” “The Founder,” “Birdman” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” “Worth” is an incredibly serious movie outside his usual superhero or comedy genre. Feinberg goes through a drastic shift in his life as he initially believes a mathematical formula could solve the problem with no questions asked. Throughout the film, he slowly realizes that grief cannot be reduced to a simple number. Keaton shows the development excellently.
However, the movie isn’t for everyone. There are plenty of scenes filled with lawyers talking about money, seemingly endless policies and long board meetings. The movie watcher who loves action would not be satisfied. But the slower pace is exactly what the directors wanted. The aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks was not a fast recovery. Paperwork takes years to resolve in the movie and in real life. That’s why you should watch this movie on the 25th anniversary. Most Americans know what happened. Most have seen the footage. But “Worth” shows what happened as a result. Greed can exist even in the worst situations.
So, if you want to know how much your life would be worth on paper, “Worth” is worth the watch.
