Haiti’s St. Damien Pediatric Hospital is not just a place of healing; it is a place of hope in a country beset by poverty, disease, and the ongoing trauma of the earthquake that decimated the island nation in 2010. Will Agee’s poignant and riveting documentary digs deep into St. Damien’s — the only hospital of its kind in Haiti — and the work of the doctors, nurses, aides, and priests who see to so much more than the medical needs of patients and their families. Far from confining his focus to the hospital, Agee wanders far and wide throughout Haiti, contrasting the country’s natural beauty with its destitution. The glimpses can be horrifying — and the opening images of cardboard coffins held together with tape are a punch to the gut — but the people of St. Damien’s are clear this is not Haiti’s only story. For them, the success of their hospital is something to build on toward a brighter future.

Director Will Agee