The Unfixing
Directed by Nicole Betancourt Produced by Nicole Betancourt
A mother faces overwhelming challenges of personal and global loss as her children inherit a world plagued by environmental crises. Her journey transforms grief into a new story, one that sees loss as an opportunity to forge a future of resilience and togetherness.
United States, Spain | 2024 | 87 minutes | Order No. W251315
SYNOPSIS
THE UNFIXING is a poetic exploration of a mother’s journey from illness to healing, framed by the intensifying global climate crisis and Nicole’s drive for sustainability. After a surfing accident triggers inexplicable symptoms that leave Nicole unable to work or parent her children, she embarks on a quest of self-discovery. Guided by dreams, nature, and wisdom from others, she weaves an immersive diary of destruction, trauma, love, and renewal. Ultimately, accepting that she is just a small part of the planet that created her, Nicole finds the strength to embrace possibility and hope. Her journey transforms grief into a new story, one that sees loss as an opportunity to forge a future of resilience and togetherness.
The film presents a richly textured visual diary, capturing the intimate moments of Betancourt’s personal struggles with ME/CFS, a debilitating illness similar to long COVID, and her older daughter’s struggle with chronic Lyme disease, while simultaneously engaging with larger ecological questions.
SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
- Our Fragile Moment Art Exhibit, 2025
- Millenium Film Festival, 2025
- Belgrade Documentary Film Festival DOK#7, 2025
- Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, 2024
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Nicole Betancourt
Nicole Betancourt is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker celebrated for her ability to merge the personal and the political in emotionally impactful stories. Her debut documentary, BEFORE YOU GO (HBO), about her father’s death from AIDS, garnered multiple awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Documentary and a Golden Spire at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Betancourt has continued to work at the intersection of social issues and personal stories, producing and directing films such as 90 MILES (POV/PBS), SING THE WATER SONG, and shorts that highlight environmental and social justice issues. She is also the former Executive Director of MediaRights, a nonprofit organization dedicated to media for social change, where she produced the award-winning Media That Matters Film Festival and the first online outreach toolkit for filmmakers. She is a Sustainability Leaders Network Fellow, a Kellogg Food and Community Fellow, and served on the Emmy awards jury, New York State Council of the Arts panel, and the New York Women in Film & Television board.
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