Herbert Heller, a Czech Holocaust survivor, did not talk about his ordeal for 60 years. It was his deep, dark secret. Even his wife and children had no idea what he had gone through as a youth. But one day, he finally recounted his singular tale of strength and resilience.

His story is dramatically recreated in The Optimist, a feature film scheduled to be released in U.S. and Canadian theaters on March 11. Written and directed by Finn Taylor, and starring Stephen Lang as Heller, it moves seamlessly between the present and the past.

Its starting point is Marin county, California, in 2004. Heller’s physician has informed him that he should get his affairs in order. It seems as if he has been stricken by a terminal disease, but the details are left unsaid.

What is clear is that he is still traumatized by his Holocaust experiences. Shortly after leaving the doctor’s office, he is assailed by a........

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