How do you put a price on a life lost in the September 11 attacks?
In short: The 2020 biographical film Worth explores the impossible task faced by Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer appointed to manage the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Tasked with calculating the value of thousands of lives, Feinberg must navigate bureaucratic rigidity, political pressure, and the profound grief of families left behind.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Kenneth Feinberg was appointed as the Special Master of the Victim Compensation Fund, with Camille Biros serving as his administrative deputy. His mandate was clear but daunting: he had until December 22, 2003, to convince at least 80 percent of the estimated 7,000 victims to participate. If he failed, the government faced the prospect of massive, potentially ruinous lawsuits against the airline industry. Feinberg initially approached this challenge by developing a rigid, income-based formula, a move that drew immediate fire from victims who felt the system was callous and insensitive to the human cost of the tragedy.
The film, directed by Sara Colangelo and starring Michael Keaton as Feinberg and Stanley Tucci as Charles Wolf, depicts the friction between cold legal logic and the emotional reality of the survivors. Feinberg faced intense scrutiny from groups like the one formed by Wolf, who accused him of prioritizing the interests of the Bush administration over the needs of the bereaved. The narrative highlights the limitations of the legal framework, such as the inability to compensate partners in states that did not recognize civil partnerships, and the complex demands of families seeking recognition for the sacrifices of first responders like the FDNY firefighter Nick Donato.
Ultimately, the story centers on Feinberg’s evolution as he begins to exercise the discretion granted to him by the government. By engaging directly with the victims and acknowledging their personal stories, he shifts the fund’s focus from a purely mechanical calculation to a more empathetic process. This change in approach, supported by the efforts of Biros and the eventual trust of advocates like Wolf, proved successful. By the deadline, they had secured participation from 97 percent of eligible victims, distributing billions in government funds and establishing a legacy that continues to influence how the state handles similar cases of mass tragedy.
Released on Netflix in 2021, the film received generally positive critical reception, with an 82 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While some critics noted that the dramatization may not be as hard-hitting as expected, it is widely regarded as a complex and powerfully performed examination of the intersection between law, politics, and human suffering.
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