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"Unrest" Documentary Reviews

Old Bones

Senior Member
Messages
808
Here are the first mainstream online reviews I have been able to find for Jen Brea's "Unrest" documentary:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/unrest-review-967867

"Brea offers an affecting film that, when made available on video, will be embraced by the millions suffering CFS worldwide."

But, will it be believed by the people who need to embrace it -- family members, friends, governments, physicians, PSYCHIATRISTS, medical systems, researchers, etc.?

"The Bottom Line: Medical-community confusion and first-person suffering make for a tough but worthwhile doc."


Here's another review from Variety:

http://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/unrest-sundance-film-festival-1201966610/

"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome still flummoxes most physicians, and remains frequently dismissed as a psychosomatic “illness” — including by some nations. Still, it’s hard to buy the “all in your head” diagnosis when seeing the long-term, sometimes entirely bedridden victims of CFS in “Unrest.

Re Karina Hansen: "The questionable reason that government doctor Per Fink offers for tearing families apart is that viewing CFS as strictly psychological is “more interesting” to him."
 
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Messages
2,125
official website
http://www.unrest.film/faq

you can sign up for email updates
http://www.unrest.film/email-signup


another write up:
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/01/23/sundance-2017-unrest-emotional-watch/
"Unrest is a documentary that exists to give names and faces to an illness that it just now moving away from being a punchline. It’s real for these people, and Jennifer has put her own suffering out there for all of us to see so we can learn from it."
eta: just spotted this was written by Janet Dafoe.
 
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Old Bones

Senior Member
Messages
808
This is not a review, but rather an interesting interview with Kim Roberts, an editor/writer involved with "Unrest".

“Chronic Illness Doesn’t Lead to Tidy Endings”

http://filmmakermagazine.com/101175...gs-editor-kim-roberts-on-unrest/#.WIo_WVUrJdh

"Roberts: The ending was the most difficult, because we were trying to wrap-up four different stories in a way that felt satisfying and real. A chronic illness doesn’t lead to tidy endings — our characters don’t get better. Yet that doesn’t mean every day is a tragedy. . . . For the final moment, we decided music and pictures alone delivered nuance and emotional resonance without the need for more voices."
 
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Old Bones

Senior Member
Messages
808
Here's an article with an interesting descriptive name for ME - the "Anti-Initiative Disease".

Entrepreneur Needed To Cure Anti-Initiative Disease

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceka...to-cure-anti-initiative-disease/#30784eee2d88

"This disease is horrific in that it literally punishes its victims when they display initiative. For example, if a patient who can't get out of bed for weeks then has a good day and decides to go sit in her backyard, she may then be dramatically worse for months.

A committee that studied this affliction suggested that it should be called "systemic exertion intolerance disease, or SEID... (because this) name captures a central characteristic of the disease: the fact that exertion of any sort— physical, cognitive or emotional—can adversely affect patients in many organ systems and in many aspects of their lives."

In other words, it punishes initiative of any sort."

Here's another link for this writer -- it's EXCELLENT:

How Great Human Beings Find Their Purpose

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-great-human-beings-find-purpose-bruce-kasanoff

"I am not an emotional person, but sitting six feet from these three (Jen, Omar and Ron Davis), I cried so much my contact lenses almost slid out of my eyes. I wasn't alone; nearly everyone was crying, . . "

"Here's what so moved me this afternoon: I was watching Jen and Omar watch us. This was the culmination of years of struggle and pain and sacrifice on their part... they wanted to see whether their film worked. Would it move audiences? Would it spur us to action? Would it generate a public outcry sufficient to increase dramatically funding for ME/CFS research?

Truth be told, we don't yet know. It all depends on YOU."

Both articles include a heartfelt call to action.
 
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*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Here's an article with an interesting descriptive name for ME - the "Anti-Initiative Disease".

Entrepreneur Needed To Cure Anti-Initiative Disease

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceka...to-cure-anti-initiative-disease/#30784eee2d88

"This disease is horrific in that it literally punishes its victims when they display initiative. For example, if a patient who can't get out of bed for weeks then has a good day and decides to go sit in her backyard, she may then be dramatically worse for months.

A committee that studied this affliction suggested that it should be called "systemic exertion intolerance disease, or SEID... (because this) name captures a central characteristic of the disease: the fact that exertion of any sort— physical, cognitive or emotional—can adversely affect patients in many organ systems and in many aspects of their lives."

In other words, it punishes initiative of any sort."

Here's another link for this writer -- it's EXCELLENT:

How Great Human Beings Find Their Purpose

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-great-human-beings-find-purpose-bruce-kasanoff

"I am not an emotional person, but sitting six feet from these three (Jen, Omar and Ron Davis), I cried so much my contact lenses almost slid out of my eyes. I wasn't alone; nearly everyone was crying, . . "

"Here's what so moved me this afternoon: I was watching Jen and Omar watch us. This was the culmination of years of struggle and pain and sacrifice on their part... they wanted to see whether their film worked. Would it move audiences? Would it spur us to action? Would it generate a public outcry sufficient to increase dramatically funding for ME/CFS research?

Truth be told, we don't yet know. It all depends on YOU."

Both articles include a heartfelt call to action.

Great article, and lots of good things to Quote, so Like and Share, post on Facebook etc..

GG
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
Unrest just showed in Toronto.
I was not able to attend but my husband and son did (my daughter and her partner are in the UK otherwise they would have attended also)
I'm told that it was very good.
And it was well attended. The theatre at Hart House (University of Toronto) is small but it was 90% full.
There was a Q & A afterward with Jen Brea.
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
Has anyone here (PR) seen the movie? I'm curious what patients have to say about it.

I have not seen it but plan to when it comes to Los Angeles. I just checked the upcoming screening schedule and it looks like it is coming to No. CA at the end of May/beginning of June so am hoping maybe it will come down to So. CA after that (but have no idea)!