The mesmerizing The Unfixing is a self-therapeutic memoir, chronicling the filmmaker’s personal journey through her parents’ divorcee, her own sudden disability from chronic fatigue syndrome, and then shockingly, her daughter’s affliction with the same symptoms via Lyme Disease; mom and daughter experiment with a new therapy that purports to rewire their brains. How will this family story end?
The clever structure (in yearly segments tied to climate change) and repeated motifs (of photography, the beach and grief) make this an art film inside a memoir. The Unfixing is the first feature for director, writer and subject Nicole Betancourt.
This unique film may not be for everyone, but it’s that wholly original cinema that people hope to see at a film festival. I screened The Unfixing for its US premiere at Cinequest.