Educational Prices:
 
Educational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
 
Educational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 
 
Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 

In the opening scene of this elegant work, German filmmaker Niko von Glasow is asked by his young son why he never goes swimming with him. His answer is that he is self-conscious about his “funny little arms.” von Glasow is a Thalidomider with severely shortened, disfigured arms. He explains that if he could pose nude for the camera it might help him overcome his shyness, and he would then feel comfortable enough to accompany his son to the pool. When he asks his son why he thinks his father would do this, his son’s reply is, “To reveal yourself.” While the young boy may have meant it quite literally, it defines the essence of Nobody’s Perfect.

von Glasow asks twelve other Thalidomiders to pose nude for photos that will become a public art exhibit, a book and a calendar. As the project progresses and each person is introduced, their stories unfold in a straightforward, candid, and very tender fashion. They are from all walks of life, both men and women, and their experiences living with their disabilities are just as varied. When von Glasow converses with them about the photo shoot and their reactions to posing nude, most are not concerned with baring their misshapen limbs, but with the parts of their bodies that most middle age folks would rather not have the world see unclothed – stomachs, hips, and thighs. von Glasow interviews each candidate, and the various aspects of living as a Thalidomider emerge including everything from routine functions such as cooking or cleaning to intimate relationships. Many have suffered deep emotional wounds over the years, but the most touching stories are those that involve their mothers. What happened on the day they were born? How did their parents deal with their disability? Were their mother’s angry with them?

As each person’s viewpoint is brought to light, a complete picture begins to gel with the inclusion of von Glasow’s desire to confront the Grunenthal company—the pharmaceutical firm that made Thalidomide. The drug was used as an anti-anxiety medication that did not have the side effects of other drugs at the time. However, as Kim, one of the women in the film and an activist for Thalidomiders in Britain discloses, Grunenthal knew that the drug caused birth defects and it was often labeled “monster maker.” In Britain Grunenthal was found negligent, and Thalidomide sufferers there won a settlement. As his young son foretold in the opening scene, von Glasow uses the photo project to reveal the world of Thalidomiders in Germany to the Grunenthal company and to the public; to reveal the subjects’ struggles with their disabilities; and to reveal his inner conflicts to himself. The closing scene of von Glasow enjoying a day at the beach with his son depicts the resolution of his inner turmoil. He has completed his mission.

Nobody’s Perfect is successful on many levels. The filmmaking is superb, the subjects are engaging, and the message is multi-faceted. von Glasow is masterful at getting to the root of his subjects’ opinions in a very sensitive and gentle way—their conversations fluid and effortless. The film is a bit long for classroom use, and is so absorbing it might be difficult to find a good place to stop. However, it deserves wide use at the college and university level and will find a home in library collections supporting health sciences, particularly disability studies, psychology, and rehabilitation, as well as collections in law, corporate crime, and activism.

-Educational Media Reviews Online

Video Librarian Review May/June 2010
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars - Recommended!

At a time when adverse medical side effects have led to the removal of many pharmaceuticals from the commercial market, Niko Von Glasow’s documentary reminds us of the most notorious example of a dangerous prescription drug. Thalidomide, marketed during the 1950s and ’60s as a non-addictive sedative, caused severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women, with one estimate suggesting that some 10,000 children died or were disfigured. NoBody’s Perfect features 12 of the victims—including Von Glasow himself, whose arms are only several inches long, although his hands are of normal size. The narrative is structured around the filmmaker’s project to persuade 11 other “Thalidomiders” to join him in posing for nude or semi-nude photographs for use in a book and a public art exhibit, with the purpose of helping others become more sensitized to such deformities through the images. Von Glasow also tries to contact the current chief executive of the family-owned Grünenthal company, which manufactured thalidomide but has never issued a formal apology or contributed to the payments the victims receive from the German government. But most of the footage revolves around Von Glasow’s conversations with other survivors and members of their families (including the director’s young son), who talk about their often painful experiences and express their hopes and fears. While that might sound like a recipe for a depressing documentary, NoBody’s Perfect is anything but—it’s a poignant film that also offers warmth, humor, and a touch of righteous anger. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)