Initially dismissed by doctors, she starts filming herself to document her illness and connects with others who are home- or bedbound with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME).

[3] The son of geneticist Ron Davis is shown, who at that point had been unable to speak for a year due to the illness.

[6] The documentary finally depicts the 2016 #MillionsMissing protests, which advocated for increased awareness and support for ME patients globally.

[7] The production of Unrest began when Brea picked up the camera to film her symptoms because she was being dismissed by doctors in the spring of 2012.

[8] Initially, she had wanted to possibly write a book using her videos as a source, but when she noticed doctors started believing her after seeing her recordings, she decided that the story would be better told visually.

[10] Brea used a Skype teleprompter to conduct interviews, and eventually found a way to stream an on-set camera to her computer.

She was bedridden throughout much of the production of the film, conducting interviews on Skype and directing remotely with producers and crews around the world.

The overall production budget reached high six-figures over four years and was financed by a mix of crowdfunding and grants (70%), equity (20%), with 10% unaccounted for when the documentary was released.

[12] Unrest aired in the United States as part of the Independent Lens series on the Public Broadcasting Service in January 2018.

The Los Angeles Times called the film "an existential exploration of the meaning of life while battling a crippling chronic illness.

Glenn Kenny, writing for RogerEbert.com, describes Brea as "relentless" in documenting the severity of her symptoms, which includes periods of paralysis and hypersensitivity to light.

[6] While Unrest does not propose a direct solution for people with ME/CFS, it does showcase hope in the #MillionsMissing protests, which sought greater recognition for the illness.