Customer Reviews

I Remember Me [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a physician who has dedicated my career to treating patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, I found I Remember Me to be a poignant, touching and true to life documentary. Despite the fact that I see people on a regular basis who are disabled by the ravages of CFS, I still found the film to be simultaneously heart wrenching and hopeful, bringing tears my eyes several times. Everyone should see this film. It is informative on many levels, not only just for those afflicted, but family and friends, as well as every medical professional and the general public.

Kim Snyder has made an outstanding contribution towards elevating the public awareness of this debilitating syndrome through her educational and informative documentary. This is an important first step in alleviating the prejudices that these people to frequently encounter, not only by the public, but also frequently by medical professionals. You can read about CFS all day long, but until you really get involved in the life of a patient with it, either directly or indirectly by letting Kim Snyder give you a glimpse, a true understanding is difficult to achieve.

Aside from the informational aspects of I Remember Me, the cinematography is creative and expressive. Kim Snyder does more than just describe, define and date; she uses the film to let the viewer into her world, sharing the feelings, fears, and dreams of reality so frequently associated with chronic illness and shared by so many affected by CFS. She reveals a great deal of how the experience of life with CFS can be altered in so many ways, from the mundane details of daily life, to the grand realization of lifelong dreams. This is a very deep, personal expression of the journey patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome face.

For those suffering from Chronic Fatigue this film is very encouraging and was a long time coming. It legitimizes a really miserable (and genuine) illness that for too long has been written off as simply some form of hysteria. For the sufferers, it's a relief to see they're not alone--and to see so many smart and compassionate doctors and researchers who are taking it very seriously indeed.

But it's even more important for the non-believers to see it. This film should be mandatory viewing for the families and friends of people suffering from Chronic Fatigue. These patients are not malingerers. This is serious suffering. I have CFS myself and the fatigue, on my worst days, makes me feel like I'm dying (and wish that I were).

One doctor in this film says that 20 years from now, the one factor regarding this illness that will seem the most incredible (even more than the suffering itself) is the indifference toward it and the disbelief surrounding it. Not just the indifference and disbelief of the unafflicted--but of physicians! Many of whom still refuse to even respect it.

This film does respect a condition which, at it's worst, can cause a misery just about as deep as a human can bear.

How happy I was to find this most important documentary on CFIDS. I felt so grateful to Kim Snyder for making this film which, not only let me know I am not alone but, gave me a very good visual tool to educate my family,friends and colleagues who really don't get it. My husband and I were particularly struck by the testimony of one family member who related that, unless you live with a CFIDS sufferer you really have no idea. The fact is that people only see us when we are having a good day and can get out of bed through the miracle of chemistry. This is a must have film for all CFIDS sufferers. Buy two! One for you and one to lend out. I only wish there were more than one film on this subject and that it were easier to find.

I was certainly one of those people who knew little and cared less about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This film changed all that. It challenged my preconceptions and inspired me to both appreciate my own health and to be more caring and open-minded with people who suffer from any illness.

A beautifully crafted film that both informs and entertains, "I Remember Me" engaged me with its personal stories and dramatic revelations. Definitely worth owning to share with friends and family.

This video documents the history of CFIDS as seen throught the eyes of someone with the illness. A great video for anyone with CFIDS to acknowledge others with the same symptoms and problems. A great video for friends and family of CFIDS patients, a brief overview of the illness. Fantastic for those who don't know what it is to suffer with this illness.

Those of us who suffer from this disease can attest to the fact that part of the tragedy and suffering is caused by the lack of understanding which we face from those close to us and the medical community. Make everyone important in your life watch this great movie. If you are a victim of the disease, you will find comfort in knowing that you are not alone and you are not crazy. We need more movies like this to bring awareness of the severity of CFS to the general public. Then, possibly, more funding would be available for research. Personally, I believe that CFS, Fibromyalgia, TMJ, IBS, MVP and a host of other "vague syndromes" are all just symptoms of one base disease. I like to call it "Devastation Disease".

This documentary film on the disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is touching, informative, enfuriating, and life-altering. At times I was brought to tears by the heart-wrenching first person stories of people struggling to deal with this illness, including their struggle with what some considered their most difficult task - coming to terms with the perceptions some in society amazingly still have that the illness is not real.

Because many of the symptoms of this illness are not immediately visible to others, sufferers often have a double burden, the illness itself as well as others' demeaning treatment of those who have it! As one person interviewed said, "You wouldn't call pneumonia "chronic coughing syndrome!" This film aptly demonstrated the physical and interpersonal pain in dealing with the illness, as well as the government's continuing inept response to researching the cause and cure.

This film most importantly is about loss and a must for anyone grieving the loss of any part of themselves, through illness or other means. It is also a wake-up call to us to pressure Congress to fund additional research to find a cause and cure for this devastating illness!

This film conveys the frustration, confusion, the pain of no support that every person who suffers from CFS experiences. It does it in a unique way that finally gives outsiders an intimate view of the life of CFS. It shows the range of affliction and suffering. Bravo, a fabulous tribute to all who have CFS.

It is very hard to understand CFS from the outside looking in, but this is a good way to begin. Unlike books, the emotions that accompany this illness are expressed in such a way as to vibrate all the way into your soul.

I should make a technical note. The use of camera angles and shake may come off as gimicky. As a photojournalist I have no problem with the methods employed, but from my stand point as an editor whatever method you use, it has to work.

I have endured this illness for over ten years. I do appreciate Kim Snyder's work and dedication to shedding light upon "CFIDS: Chronic Fatigue Immunodeficiency Syndrome" and hope to see her work continue; specifically focusing on the daily experiences of patients with CFIDS. Granted, I could be possibly missing a point about the production ("brain-fog") but after reading critical reviews I was expecting a hard-hitting tour de force targeting our daily experiences with fluctuating symptoms (CFIDS is actually a collection of many different and most-often life-altering symptoms) and the healthcare system plus how friends and family and society in general react to the illness. After purchasing and viewing the film I felt it was an introductory effort for the least exposed to CFIDS. Yes, good segments, good sound bytes, good points. Yet how I hope to see our illnesses presented in a totality of actual life experiences with female and male patients from all walks of life represented. How the symptoms vary constantly, how the symptoms ebb and flow and cluster with amazing variances even within one day, how CFIDS can affect us similarly yet differently as well, because the symptoms can present themselves in so many different manners, i.e., some are extremely ill from bacterial and viral infections for many years, others do not experience this ongoing issue yet suffer with increased symptoms of fibromyalgia, I'm glad for the film yet hope to see more work come out exposing what CFIDS is as a broad-spectrum experience. Psychologically many of us are faced with issues like a life-altering illness that is not considered terminal and is also largely invisible. This illness presents obstacles all along the patient's path: learning to communicate clearly the always-changing nature and degree of symptoms encountered is a challenge yet it is a challenge that must be faced for the patient to be able to communicate to their physician(s). Many of us have no physicians, many of us have physicians who think they understand our experiences when they do not, and still others experience physicians comprehending almost totally their patients' descriptions of symptoms yet are not as yet able to mediate other than through medication and lifestyle. Thanks for a valuable effort that I (selfishly) hope is the first step towards advancing knowledge of our illness.