First of all, let's define film -- the way you are using the term, it is not the plastic, etc., that makes up the DVD, videocassette, etc., but the information contained on such media. Given that definition, then you are correct that I would say no one can own a film, because information cannot be owned, it can only be created, possessed, withheld, shared, or destroyed.
Suppose some mathematician writes and sells me a book which gives the solution to Fermat's Theorem. I read the book, and now possess the essence of it in my brain. If I explain Fermat's Theorem to my friend, or even read the book out loud to him verbatim, is my friend guilty of theft by receiving? Of course not. I am simply conveying information that I have acquired. The information is not property and therefore cannot be stolen. Once the book is published, the author cannot control who will learn his solution for Fermat's Theorem. The information will spread with or without his blessing. That is what I meant by keeping information to yourself, if you want to maintain control of it.
Now, suppose I decide to copy the mathematician's book and start selling copies to my friends. Are they guilty of theft by receiving? Of course not. They are not stealing any physical object. And I am not conveying any different information than in the earlier scenario, so they are not stealing content any more than the guy who listened to me reading. *I*, on the other hand, HAVE committed a crime. I have violated the creator's copyright by fraudulently reproducing and selling his original work without permission. I have NOT stolen anything. No property has been lost by the author. But I have violated a copyright.