The Pathological Optimist

At the heart of the recent uproar at the Tribeca Film Festival over his documentary “VAXXED: From Cover-up to Controversy” is Andrew Wakefield, who lost his medical license after his notorious research claimed a connection between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease, and autism. “THE PATHOLOGICAL OPTIMIST” offers an intimate glimpse into Wakefield’s life and family from 2011 to 2016 as he pursues a little-known defamation lawsuit against the British Medical Journal, striving to redeem himself from the media’s portrayal of him as the leader of the anti-vaccine movement. Director Miranda Bailey crafts a nuanced depiction of Wakefield, providing unprecedented access to the man at the center of one of the most significant medical and media debates of our era.