Andrea Dorfman’s animated short Flawed airs on PBS tonight

Flawed
1. (of a substance or object) Blemished, damaged, or imperfect in some way.
2. (of something abstract) Containing a mistake, weakness, or fault.

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Once in a while a film comes along that completely and utterly charms you. For me, and at least one more person in this office, Flawed was one of those films. Directed by Andrea Dorfman, Flawed is an animated short about a woman who falls in love with a plastic surgeon, which in turn gets her thinking about her own imperfections and flaws and how well (or not) she is embracing them.

The whole thing could be very trite (it’s not like the “love yourself just the way you are” message is anything new, thank you Dove), but the film is both honest and touching. Who, indeed, has never wished their nose was a bit more like this, or their teeth a bit more like that, and their hair straight instead of curly, or curly instead of straight, and their inner thighs as tan and taut as their best friend Anna’s? Especially when we are in love! Especially when we are feeling all vulnerable and soft and really, really want the object of our affection to see us as perfect, and not flawed at all! Everybody has these self-doubting thoughts, whether we are 7 or 45 – the question is what we do with them. Flawed offers a lighthearted yet wise perspective to this universal conundrum.

All that to say that Flawed is airing on PBS tonight at 10pm EDT (as part of a 1-hour collection of documentary shorts) and that you should watch it. You will find more info, including local airing times, on the PBS webpage. And do check out the 2 following excerpts to get an idea of the tone and style. Dorfman’s watercolour vignettes are a delight to watch unfold.