Film Review – The Optimist

Stephen Lang plays tough guys. He’s been doing it throughout most of his career, and he’s done it very recently, keeping up a villainous presence in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and doing B-movie duty in the recent “Hellfire.” For “The Optimist,” Lang offers a welcome change of pace, tasked with portraying Herbert Heller, a Holocaust survivor who decided late in life in begin sharing the story of his experiences during World War II, with hopes to reach others carrying considerable pain. Writer/director Finn Taylor (“Dream with the Fishes”) looks to make an intense but sensitive drama from the tale, creating a study of unexpected connection found during troubling times, and Lang is there to hold the picture together with his sturdy, gentle performance. “The Optimist” runs into storytelling issues late in the film, but it remains a powerful understanding of endurance, providing intimacy with crisis and compassion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com