“What would your life be worth?” Michael Keaton is asked in a new trailer for Sara Colangelo’s third feature. Based on a true story, “Worth” takes place in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and tells the story of the mediator and attorney tasked with leading the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. “The victims and their families will be compensated based on economic value loss. That’s where the formula comes in,” Kenneth Feinberg (Keaton) explains.
Not everyone is on board with his approach. “Why isn’t there equal payment for everyone?” a father who lost his daughter asks. A man whose wife died that day adds, “Everything about this formula offends me.” Grieving family members “don’t want to be treated like numbers on a spreadsheet,” they explain.
Though he’s initially reluctant to rethink his approach, Kenneth gradually seems to come to an understanding of why victims of the tragedy are so upset about the formula. “It’s not just,” he’s told.
Colangelo most recently helmed 2018 Maggie Gyllenhaal-starrer “The Kindergarten Teacher,” a drama about a teacher who becomes obsessed with one of her students. She made her feature directorial debut with 2014’s “Little Accidents.”
Asked what advice she’d give other women directors, Colangelo said, “To do your own thing — to try to make films that express your unique vision, and to not be afraid of going outside the box.”
“Worth” launches on Netflix September 3.
