“The Optimist” chronicles the true story of Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller (Stephen Lang), who kept his unbelievable escape from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death march a secret for 60 years. Heller was a teenager himself when he fled, and he reveals his past to Abby (Elsie Fisher), an alienated teenager who inspires him to open up and finally heal. The two outsiders form a strong bond: As Abby shares more pain, Heller offers a useful perspective: This isn’t the end of the world. I’ve seen the end of the world. I had a ringside seat.
The film arrives in theaters on March 11—but it was a very long time in the making. Here are six things to know about it.
The film took a long time to make. Like, a really long time. Writer-director Finn Taylor and producer Jeanine Thomas spent a decade developing the movie, which involved becoming close to Heller (he died in 2021). Thomas and Heller forged a strong bond as she watched him speak to youth audiences around the country about his experiences, giving them hope to face their own struggles.
The film raises money for Holocaust survivors living in poverty and suicide awareness. More than 11,000 Holocaust survivors in the United States live in poverty. The film has partnered with KAVOD, providing this community with financial support for emergency and daily needs. It also supports Bring Change to Mind, committed to ending mental health stigma among teens.
It originally came out in 2023, winning lots of indie awards. This is the film’s wide release, but it first debuted at several film festivals to wide acclaim, including the 2024 Jury Prize at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.
Fisher has made a career portraying troubled teens. You might know them from “Eighth Grade,” where they earned a Golden Globe nomination for their portrayal of awkward adolescent Kayla Day; they play a similar character, Skye, in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
Lang was nominated for a Tony Award in an equally emotional, historic role. Lang starred on Broadway in “The Speed of Darkness,” about two Vietnam veterans who reunite after many years, united by trauma. Joe has gone on to success; Lou (Lang) has fallen into homelessness. Both harbor dark secrets.
Even Heller’s family didn’t know the extent of his suffering. Heller was reunited with his mother in Prague in 1945 (his older brother and father had vanished). He took shelter with a Catholic family; because sheltering a Jew was so dangerous, he burned off his Auschwitz tattoo with acid, leaving an indelible scar. Years later, in the United States, he told his daughters that the mark was from a water heater mishap. They only learned the truth when he sat for an oral history with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It’s available on video; watch it before you see the movie for extra perspective.
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“The Optimist” will be in theaters March 11 and March 15. Find showtimes near you.
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Kara Baskin is a writer for JewishBoston.com. She is also a regular contributor to The Boston Globe and a contributing editor at Boston Magazine. She has worked for New York Magazine and The New Republic, and helped to launch the now-defunct Jewish Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Email her at kara@jewishboston.com.
