Stephen Lang portrays Herbert in his later years with such depth and restraint. You see the weight of his past in his expressions, in the pauses between his words. Yet you also see compassion, strength, and a man who, despite everything, still chooses connection. It is a performance that feels honest and grounded.

When Herbert finally opens up, he forms an unexpected friendship with Abby, a teenager struggling with her own pain. Elsie Fisher brings so much vulnerability to this role. Abby feels real. She feels like someone many families know or love, a young person trying to find her place while quietly battling internal struggles.

Their bond becomes the heart of the film. It is not forced. It grows through conversation, honesty, and shared vulnerability. Watching two very different generations find common ground through truth is incredibly moving. Young Herbert, played by Luke David Blumm, adds another emotional layer in the flashbacks. His performance brings innocence and quiet strength to the earlier chapters of Herbert’s life.

While the film is rooted in Holocaust history, it is not only about tragedy. It is about courage. It is about what happens when someone finally feels safe enough to say, this is what happened to me. It is about how being truly heard can begin to heal wounds that have been buried for decades.

As someone who values stories that carry meaning beyond the screen, I found this one especially important. In a time when many young people feel unseen or unheard, this film gently reminds us that connection across generations can be life changing. Trauma may shape a life, but it does not have to define the ending.

The Optimist is emotional without being overwhelming. It is reflective without feeling heavy handed. Most of all, it is a reminder that even after unimaginable darkness, hope can still rise in the most unexpected ways.

If you appreciate films that make you think and feel, this is one worth seeing in theaters March 11 and 15.

Here’s a more detailed SYNOPSIS:

Again, the film will be released nationwide on March 11, 2026, through Trafalgar Releasing.

THE OPTIMIST

Faith & Family Discussion Guide

The Optimist tells the true story of Herbert Heller, who kept hidden the story of his years in Auschwitz as a teenage boy from his family, until he meets Abbey, a young teenager whose own brush with pain and death inspires Herbert to open up. Through their honest and compassionate exchange, a healing and transformational friendship is born. This guide is designed to encourage families, small groups, and classrooms to reflect deeply on the emotional, spiritual, and relational themes at the heart of The Optimist.

Haunting Trauma

The Optimist is full of profound emotional and spiritual themes, but chief among them is trauma, both the experience of it, its hold on our lives, and how we navigate its lasting impact. Herbert and Abbey both suffer from PTSD as a result of drastically different traumas, the former from the horrors of the Holocaust and the latter from an emotionally abusive father, a neglectful mother, and the failed suicide pact with her best friend.

The film effectively shows how traumatic events and memories of them break into victims’ lives wholly unexpectedly and without warning, often triggered by even the most mundane and harmless events. The film also showcases effective practices for navigating those invasive moments, from breathing exercises to therapy to conversations with fellow sufferers. There’s also the trauma of survival, one that, perhaps, will never fully heal.

These questions will, to some extent, forever haunt the film’s central characters. Why did Herbert live while millions died? Why did Abby live while her friend died?

Questions for Consideration:

 Do you or someone you know suffer from trauma? How do you process those ongoing struggles?

 When have you seen someone endure great trauma? If they were able to navigate this trauma in a healthy way, how did this happen? In what ways has this inspired you?

 What role does faith, prayer, or spiritual community play in healing from trauma?

Curious Connections

One of the strengths of The Optimist is the inter-generational friendship at the core of the story. We don’t often see such dynamics at work in film, and when we do, they’re often played for comedy. But The Optimist shows the importance and benefits of developing friendships and nurturing relationships that cross generational divides.

Herbert is able to provide Abbey with some much-needed perspective on her own experiences.

He never invalidates her suffering, but his honest recounting of the horrors he suffered puts Abbey’s suffering in a much broader and deeper context. And to her credit, Abbey is never dismissive of any part of Herbert’s story or judgmental of his decision to keep his story a secret for so long. She simply listens and asks questions, and her act of bearing witness to his suffering brings some measure of healing to Herbert’s life.

At the heart of both of their approaches to one another is a healthy dose of curiosity. Herbert tells Abbey, “I’d rather hear about [you.]” The world would be a much better place if we all lead with a spirit of curiosity about the other, rather than judgment or a desire to be “right.”

Questions for Consideration:

 Consider your friend and family relationships. Do you interact with people much older or younger than you? What have you learned from them? How have these relationships impacted your life?

 Have you seen inspirational inter-generational friendships in your community? In what ways do they encourage or inspire you to seek out similar connections?

 What assumptions do you hold about older or younger people? How might curiosity challenge or change those assumptions?

Choosing Hope

The Optimist is about Herbert’s healing, but the optimist in The Optimist is really Herbert’s father, who, despite the unimaginable suffering he endures, never loses hope. In the face of great evil, Herbert’s father chooses hope, joy, and love. He sets an example for his sons and their fellow prisoners. It’s a lesson that Herbert never forgets.

Later in the film, Herbert tells Abbey, “I chose to believe my father.” Hope, like so many feelings (love, fear, joy, and despair, for example) can take us by surprise. Think about how we talk about some experiences: we are “knocked off our feet” or “stunned into silence.” But The Optimist shows us that there can be an element of choice in how we respond to all of our experiences. We can make a conscious decision to choose hope, joy, and love and to banish fear, hate, and anger. Of course, there are limits to the power, or effectiveness, of choice when it comes to those who suffer from PTSD or clinical depression, but, for most of us, in our day-today lives, the power of choice is available to us. We can choose to hope, to live in love, and to banish hate.

Questions for Consideration:

 What gives you hope in difficult times?

 Talk about a time when you experienced intense feelings of fear, anger, or hatred. Were you able to process and release those feelings? If so, how? If not, why not?

 Who in your life models hope for you? What do they teach you about resilience?

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Trafalgar Releasing.