The life of Herbert Heller, the longtime San Rafael resident and Holocaust survivor who died in 2021, was a sobering one. Born in Czechoslovakia, he survived the brutality of Auschwitz and came to America to start a new life.
Now his tragic youth and his decision late in life to tell his story have been brought to life in a film that will begin a short theatrical run, including in the Bay Area, on March 11.
“The Optimist,” a fictionalized version of Heller’s life, is the passion project of Janine Thomas, who has pursued making the film for more than a decade. In it, a Holocaust survivor named Herbert, played by Stephen Lang, has hidden his past from the world but opens up to a troubled teen girl, played by Elsie Fisher. The film was originally titled “Avenue of the Giants” when it premiered in the film fest circuit in 2023…