A Review of Invisible, a film by Rik Carlson and Michael Thurston

I doubt the man down the road would be any wiser after watching this film , about what ME actually  is and much more  than that, he would still not have a clue what my Linda goes through, apart perhaps from brain fog ,  tiredness, and some flu-like symptoms.Talking about being ill is not nearly as powerful as showing the actual illness; watching Rik Carlson's film yesterday was certainly a moving experience - for we know what's it like to live with ME, we have a pretty good  idea what the brave folk who spoke out so well and so vividly are going through ,but sadly Invisible is the perfect tile for the film. 

God bless The Vermount CFIDS Association, such  a determined, warm group , for making this film and for reaching out to us all. It is just too bad  that it  left me shaking my head at the end  and murmuring "oh no !"

Please,please - what was all that last scene  in the woods all about  ? Maybe I am too dense, but the message I took away was that recovery from ME  is possible, if you accept that you are ill, pace yourself and take graded exercise - walking a dog, for example. Did I just watch that.....? 

The recovery rates , as we know, especially if you have been ill for more than 5 years are way  too tiny to be significant. No wonder given there has been no government funded research to speak of. On that note , though, the film excels. It's expose of the CDC is the film's  crowning achievement, in my book. That was a real eye opener, especially to us here in the UK.

I have to say that the the film did not represent  the very severely ill, or at least not in my experience of hell.  It was  disappointing there was so little on the neurological symptoms  and the film   seems to be  factually inaccurate in places ; it is just not true that the disease is not documented and what  a pity  the term "Chronic Fatigue" rather than "CFS" in used places, actually the switching between  different terminologies,with CIFDS and ME thrown in for good measure,  would have left that  man down the road reeling I think. Just shows what a mess it all is.

That said this sensitive, beautifully shot and well-narrated  film  was extremely interesting for us both to watch, we were able to identify with so much and our hearts and love  go out to everyone who took part.