97'2017Germanydirector: Karin Jurschickcinematography: Timm Langeediting: Anika Simonproduction: Bildersturm Filmproduktion
After the attacks of September 11, the U.S. Congress created a compensation fund—in an effort to protect airlines from decades of litigation—for victims and their families. To get access to the fund, claimants had first to waive their right to sue. And one man alone had responsibility for allocating these funds. For Kenneth Feinberg, a leading American lawyer and mediator, this was not the first that he found himself in such a situation involving vast amounts of money, justice and human tragedy. From Vietnam veterans poisoned by herbicides, through fishermen from the Gulf of Mexico struggling with the effects of a gigantic oil spill, to contemporary victims of the collapse of private pension schemes, just about everyone has been affected by his decisions. In practice, Feinberg has to constantly look for an answer to the question of just how much human life is worth, which is, in theory, rather appalling. It is worth considering how the Western value system works when it comes to weighing the value of human lives and economic interests that are intertwined by tragedy on a grand scale. It is also worth seeing how the world looks from the top rung of the legal system. Karin Jurschick's masterful film provides a unique opportunity to do just that.
Maciej Nowicki
