You may have seen the BBC’s excellent “911 – Inside the President’s War Room”. It will have triggered memories of that horrific day. George W Bush, and those around him, display genuine fear, sorrow and confusion as they try to piece together what was happening and how they should/could respond. As The Guardian put it, it “is a study of a leader being forced to make epic choices on the hop”. Perhaps through some wish to commemorate what that nation had endured, I explored how moviemakers had treated those same events through two fact-based features.
Worth was made as recently as 2020, and in some ways acts as its own kind of commemoration. It follows Kenneth Feinberg, the solicitor (or “attorney” if being true to origin) who was appointed as “special master” of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund – with the support of his managing partner and his law firm in tow. The initial sense that this might be the story of the airlines protecting themselves, with government support, from a litigious backlash is soon dispelled as we watch a much more personal battle where Michael Keaton’s Feinberg seeks to establish “What – is – life – worth?” in the face of a challenge led by Charles Wolf who lost his wife. Worth deals less with the events of 911 and more with the impact on individual lives. Feinberg’s exposure to these personal stories ultimately becomes what shapes his decision-making and the conclusion that the value of a life cannot be established by a financial formula.
The Mauritanian also has 911 as its backdrop, an attorney in a central role and examines the response of the US government. There the comparison ends. Instead of focussing on the victims, it focusses on the perpetrators – or does it? Mohamedou Ould Slahi, with a background as a mujahideen anti-communist fighter in Afghanistan, was a prime suspect and was scooped and dropped into Guantanamo Bay and held for 14 years without charge. Jodie Foster (the attorney) picks up his case and pursues justice. Benedict Cumberbatch, the military prosecutor, is seeking the death penalty until he recognises that confession secured through torture cannot be reliable. We are exposed to actions arguably as inhumane as the terrorist attacks themselves. Fear and anger do not produce rational responses. The closing real-life footage of Slahi, now free, portrays a man to be admired – apparently demonstrating challenging levels of grace and forgiveness.
They are not necessarily to be compared however, for me, Worth provides a more thought-provoking exploration. And, Michael Keaton is pretty good at what he does.
Worth (2020)
Director: Sara Colangelo
Cast: Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci
NETFLIX
1 hour 58 min
The Mauritanian (2021)
Director: Kevin MacDonald
Cast: Tahr Rahim, Jodie Foster
NETFLIX | PRIME | YOUTUBE
2 hours 9 min
