The Pathological Optimist

Having always felt really uncomfortable with the mass hysteria that follows Wakefield it's good to see a movie that at least puts some of the other side over. If he had an incentive to make his (the group's) research come to an answer where he might profit, the other side does times about a 1000. A great film to counterbalance the stifling of a rounded debate, not helped by universities denying Wakefield access to state case.

The director of this documentary wants you to feel some sympathy for Wakefield. This is a story of a self appointed revolutionary, a man who cares and has been hard done by via the vile medical establishment. In one way Bailey does make an argument for how these people can drive others to complete lunacy. Much like cult leaders the world over. In that respect this film is interesting.

What I didn't much like was that this documentary neither deeply dives and informs of the truth of the subject or record the actual facts. I felt that at times it does pander to Wakefield and his stupid, selfish actions which he of course claims were done with the best of intentions. Saying that, I did watch it and found merit in what it tries to do.

Wakefield is given all the space in the world to garner sympathy and espouse his unscientific ideas without anything close to resembling an examination from this woefully poor filmmaker. Don't waste your time on this tripe.

If a documentary's purpose is to inform and record the truth's of a subject. The Pathological Optimist gets deep into the soul and the truth of Andrew Wakefield. This documentary follows Wakefield through the aftereffect of his own documentary Vaxxed which alleged that certain vaccines could be giving children autism. Andrew must continuously take up and battle against all of his critiques to clear his name and restore his credibility. Wakefield may have one of the most interesting faces the screen has ever seen. It feels that with every word and sentence formed you are seeing the inner workings of a man who knows his truth and his purpose but yet may be conflicted. The Pathological Optimist gives you a wonderful look into a man who is searching for the truth in more ways than one. A Wonderful Documentary!

Sometimes people tell me that I have to wise up, that I have to be a man. When I don't budge, they add that I have a moral responsibility to re-act. I owe it to society to voice out. If a person of my standing did not, who would? Doing the right thing is not always about doing the likeable stuff. One needs to create chaos to maintain order. The serpentine opposing forces of yin and yang, of male and female, are not mutually exclusive but complementary! Chaos and order make up the eternal, harmony of the Eden of life.

I claim to love my country so much, but I do not think I would be willing to don jungle fatigues, drag around a rifle in the discomfort of the outdoors and deafening sounds of exploding gunshots. Probably not in this lifetime.

Would anyone go through great lengths to defend what he thinks is right; at the expense of peace of mind, creating a turmoil within his family, being treating a pariah by people by people beneath them who obviously do not know what they are talking about. All the things that he considered his reason for living, his raison d'être, ridiculed like he is a lunatic. Just how far would he hold on to his conviction?

Andrew Wakefield, a Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist at Free Hospital in the UK, was having a comfortable life doing what he wanted to do all his life - to treat patients. The study he co-authored which implicated MMR vaccination to gastrointestinal dysfunction and neurological regression which appeared in a 1998 publication of Lancet changed all this. Even though ten out of the 13 contributors agreed to retract the said article, Wakefield stood steadfast. He reiterated that there was an association between the combined MMR vaccine and severe neurological symptoms. He suggests further testing and advocated single vaccines.

Brian Deere's investigative journalism work in the Sunday Times accused Wakefield of undeclared conflict of interest and manipulation of results. After a long process, Wakefield was struck off from the British Medical Register. He migrated to Austin, Texas. The topic of autism and its association with MMR as well as the increase in the activities of the anti-vaxxers' movement. Correspondingly, Wakefield's name gets mentioned every now and then in documentaries as well as in the mainstream media. It led on to multiple court cases against Deer and the BMJ to clear his name. Unfortunately, he kept losing all his legal battles and ended up paying the legal costs for the opponents. The many groups supporting those injured by vaccines keep on supporting him.

Despite all the difficulties that Wakefield, his wife Carmel and their four kids have gone through, he is adamant about defending his research, denies monetary intentions or fraud and works with non-profit organisations related to autism. The periodic spike in incidences of measles is blamed on his movements.

This documentary, done in a very personal way, following Wakefield into his yoga class and his home, takes us to a time between 2011 and 2016 when he had to slug it out with the Texan court in a suit against the BMJ. The viewers can see a weary man fight with all he has for what he calls a 'moral issue'.

P.S. So much for love will keep them together fighting a good fight. 32 years of marriage of Andrew and Carmel Wakefield came to an end. Andrew Wakefield is now dating ex-swimsuit model of Sports Illustrated, Elle MacPherson, 54.