WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

Watch Flawed on PBS. See more from POV.

Flawed is a beautifully crafted coming-of-age film about a woman who is uncomfortable starting a relationship with a plastic surgeon. This 12-minute short film directed by Canadian artist and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman tackles the issues of identity and challenges the notions of the ideal beauty.

This film is the raison d’être of coming-of-age films. In 12 minutes Dorfman manages to capture what takes most directors 90 minutes. Flawed is a personal story that conjures one of the primary issues that many face during their adolescent years, self-acceptance. It is also sprinkled with elements of childhood insecurities, obstacles of a blossoming relationship and personal growth. The voice-over narrative is accompanied with watermarked drawings and light melodies that compliment the actions of the scene. This creates a storybook like tale of events.

I enjoyed watching Flawed I was continuously engaged. Dorfman deftly packaged adult like complexities with childlike illustrations. The film was well written. You were not bombarded with loads of information that it would ideally take to develop a character in a film. It didn’t give too much but also didn’t give too little, a perfect balance of material.