Unrest

Unrest
Jennifer Brea appears in <i>Unrest</i> by Jennifer Brea, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Sam Heesen.
Date: 07/05/2019 Times: 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Image from Sundance Institute | photo by Sam Heesen

‘Jennifer Brea’s Sundance award-winning documentary, ‘Unrest’, is a personal journey from patient to advocate to storyteller. Jennifer is twenty-eight years-old, working on her PhD at Harvard, and months away from marrying the love of her life when a mysterious fever leaves her bedridden. When doctors tell her it’s “all in her head,” she picks up her camera as an act of defiance and brings us into a hidden world of millions that medicine abandoned.’

‘In this story of love and loss, newlyweds Jennifer and Omar search for answers as they face unexpected obstacles with great heart. Often confined by her illness to the private space of her bed, Jennifer connects with others around the globe. Like a modern-day Odysseus, she travels by Skype into a forgotten community, crafting intimate portraits of four other families suffering similarly. Jennifer Brea’s wonderfully honest and humane portrayal asks us to rethink the stigma around an illness that affects millions. ‘Unrest’ is a vulnerable and eloquent personal documentary that is sure to hit closer to home than many could imagine.’

Moving Image is screening ‘Unrest’ as part of ‘M.E. Awareness Week’ which runs from Monday 6th to Sunday 12th of May. You can read more about the week and the campaign behind it on the ME Association Website. FREE EVENT. Wivenhoe Library.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS, is a devastating multi-system disease that causes dysfunction of the neurological, immune, endocrine and energy metabolism systems. It often follows an infection and leaves 75% of those affected unable to work and 25% homebound are bedridden. An estimated 15-30 million people worldwide have ME. (Learn more)

Unrest

Year: 2017

Country: UK/USA

Cert: 12A

Duration: 87 mins

Dir: Jennifer Brea

Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea was about to marry when suddenly her body starts failing her. To shed light on her strange symptoms Jennifer grabs a camera and films the darkest moments unfolding before her eyes as she is derailed by M.E.

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Venue: Wivenhoe Library