NoBody's Perfect (DVD)

In the late 1950s and early 60s, more than 10,000 children were born with deformities due to the use of Thalidomide, a drug used in sedatives. Filmmaker Niko von Glasow was one of the victims, and in Nobody's Perfect he tracks down 11 others who suffered the disastrous side-effects. Niko is recruiting them to pose nude for a book of photographs, to give the ever-present gawkers a good, long look. He especially wants the executives at Grunenthal, the pharmaceutical company that produced the drug, to see the result of their crimes. He ends up stalking his way into their offices like a German Michael Moore, confronting them with images of their misdeeds. The children of Thalidomide are the heart of the film, though, as they battle their body-image issues with courage and dark humor, while pursuing their diverse and successful careers. They are painters, champion horse-riders, actors, and astrophysicists, an inspiring group who overcame incredible odds to become extraordinary people.