Time for Unrest

Jen Brea is ON FIRE! Her documentary film, Time for Unrest is now in the UK after wrapping up its premieres in the U.S. on October 22nd. Check out The Telegraph for some recent press out of London.

I was lucky enough to see the premiere in Santa Monica in late September.

Everything about this film amazes me—that it was made at all, that I got to see it, and that a woman with CFS made it -from her bed, basically. Jen Brea realized that people needed to literally SEE what living with CFS/ME was actually like. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, if you haven’t taken care of someone day in and day out with it, it’s extremely difficult to imagine that someone could get that sick. It literally doesn’t seem possible that someone could be that sick and that dysfunctional and that a) there isn’t loads of medical research being done about it, b) there isn’t some sort of treatment plan within the medical community, and that c) societal concern could be that low. It doesn’t seem possible that someone could be that sick and no one know the cause. It doesn’t seem possible that someone could be that sick and not die or get better. Until you come to know the people who have it and see what their life is like with CFS, you won’t get it; and therein lies the genius Time for Unrest.

Through documenting her own experience and the experiences of others, this film exposes the cruelty of the illness in and of itself; like its sudden appearance in one’s life, followed by the desperation of not being well, and living in a body that can’t seem to recover. Her film enables one to see just how life-shattering this illness is. But it’s the moments of genuine connection and her spark that leave you cheering. She never loses her spirit, or her appreciation for the beauty that life still holds. For all the seriousness of the subject, and the burden of the illness, the film retains a certain hope and joy, creating an intimacy that makes the film extremely engaging. The Salt Lake Tribune, called her film “both a revelation and a call to action” and I have to agree. Jen Brea has gone way beyond. She has rocketed past her current limitations and given us ALL a broader view.

Normally, no one outside our immediate circle sees us and how aggressive CFS/ME really is. We are housebound, we are bedridden, we are ghosts of our former selves. Time for Unrest has rendered the reality of this illness visible. To make the unseen, seen, is an unbelievable feat.

Thank you Jen Brea, for a brilliant film, beautifully executed. We owe you much!

Check out the campaign and more at Time for Unrest.