Moldovan Miracle

Before Norwegian optometrist Hans Bjørn Bakketeig visited Moldova in 2001, it was common practice to simply hide visually impaired children away and leave them to their fate. He moved to the country, took up residence in a hotel room, and has since treated more than 10,000 people. The camera follows Hans Bjørn and his irrepressible assistant Tatjana during his consultations and as they journey across the countryside, where people are often too poor to afford glasses. Their costs are covered by sponsors from the Norwegian organization Hjelp Moldova (Help Moldova). While the duo struggles to expand their clinic, political chaos reigns in the country: in 2015, the year in which Stian Indrevoll collected the material for this documentary, the Moldovan government fell four times, primarily due to corruption and incompetence. Despite the strain on his patience, Bakketeig continues to contact new politicians. After all, no one else will do it: he's still the only optometrist in the country.