Doing good

“Doing Good” is a film about the importance of hope. Margreth Olin has filmed 22 people meeting Joralf Gjerstad. Over the past 65 years over 50,000 people have traveled to the small village Snåsa in the north of Norway, hoping that he’d be able to help them. A childhood ruined by bullying. A mishap during surgery. Unexpected, terminal illness. Self-loathing inherited through generations. Living with constant anxiety.  Then, suddenly, a compassionate gesture from a total stranger changes your whole life. What actually happens? Can we as a society learn something from one man´s genuine compassion? Can this film teach us anything about our ability to conquer illness? When Margreth was in the final stage of editing this film, her husband suddenly suffered a massive stroke. How do we recreate ourselves?