The Optimists
Filmfest 2007

THE OPTIMISTS is a brilliant, caustic anthology of five stories inspired by Voltaire's "Candide". While each installment fleshes out a distinct universe, all cast a jaundiced eye on the charlatans who hype an optimistic outlook on life at all costs. Blind to the bleakness around them, they preach positive thinking aboard the fast-sinking ship of Western civilization. Each vignette stars veteran Serbian actor Lazar Ristovski who brings to life an array of different characters with startling expertise. The film is rife with metaphoric references to the disastrous war in the region and the social dissolution it generated. In some stories the moral is clear, while others require viewers to ask which characters have a firm grasp on reality and which are deceiving themselves – or others. The film boasts a vaguely surreal, off-kilter tone, filled with full-bodied, vigorous characterizations and earthy, tactile images. Most compelling, however, is its dark sense of humour. Dimitri Eipides