Kenneth Feinberg enjoys film and music masterpieces at night, because during the day he is constantly dealing with human horrors. The “master of disaster“ lawyer managed the victim support fund after 9/11 and the settlement for the victims of the BP oil catastrophe. As a state-appointed advisor he defended Vietnam vet victims of Agent Orange, decided over the credit standing of bankers after the financial crisis, and the collective pension cuts for employees. There has rarely been an American crisis that Feinberg wasn‘t a part of in some way. This man decides over the future of thousands of often traumatized people – to the best of his knowledge and conscience and always according to the US legal system. A system in which a stockbroker will always get higher remuneration than a firefighter. How much is a person‘s life worth and how can a person decide that? These questions are at the center of Karin Jurschick‘s fascinating documentary that focuses on this emotion topic without prejudice. With images that could also work as a US economic thriller, the director accompanies Feinberg at work and lets his colleagues, aggrieved parties, and the relatives of victims speak. Is Feinberg a symbol of hope and humanity in an unjust world or the treacherous beneficiary of big tragedies? The lawyer himself is a great talker, of course, and makes for a great protagonist. Simultaneously empathetic and pragmatic, open, and surprisingly not very cynical. What‘s clear at the end of the film is that no other person could do his job. It‘s no wonder that Kenneth Feinberg can‘t sleep at night.

Katharina Franck

Translation: Elinor Lewy