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No one's perfect, but Albert's work sure is.
No One is Perfect is a 2021 Irish Short Film written and directed by Joseph Fuller.

The story follows Jenna Varga (Petra Callanan) - a Slovakian immigrant and businesswoman in Ireland. She's head of a prestigious company and strives for perfection. This wouldn't be a problem, except when she's faced with the opportunity to hire disabled people who are more than qualified but don't meet her standards of perfection. And her latest candidate Albert Burton (Jordan McGuinness) is a man with Autism, who really needs this position.

The film was a big success at the New York International Film Festival, with Jordan McGuinness winning a Best Young Actor award for his portrayal of Albert. The full thing can be viewed here.


Tropes:

  • An Aesop: A disabled person can be perfectly qualified to work in a job, and shouldn't be discriminated against.
  • Bad Boss: Jenna is an extreme perfectionist and very insensitive to those with disabilities. This bites her in the ass when her firm has to undergo corporate restructuring, resulting in her firing. She becomes a Benevolent Boss by the end.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Gabrielle appears to be a living saint, but when she discovers Albert died because of Jenna's actions, boy does she let her have it.
  • Book Ends: The film starts with Albert applying for a job and getting turned down because of his autism. The final scene is Jenna interviewing another candidate who confesses his autism, and she assures him it's not an issue.
  • Break the Haughty: In the process of learning her lesson, Jenna loses her job.
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Jenna doesn't hire a disabled person who'd be the best fit for the job. He gets evicted from his apartment, dies on the streets and Jenna herself loses her job, eventually having to sell her house.
  • Cool Old Guy: The bookshop is run by a kindly older man who's very understanding and open-minded towards disability.
  • Decoy Protagonist: Albert is initially who we follow, but it turns out that Jenna is the true protagonist of the story.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Despite her ableism, Jenna is horrified to discover Albert died because of her.
  • Foil: Gabrielle is there to be the foil to Jenna; the latter is a strict perfectionist with prejudices towards the disabled. Gabrielle is a kind, open-minded worker who helps Jenna see the error of her ways.
  • "Friends" Rent Control: Subverted! Albert is so behind on his rent that the job he's interviewing for is his last shot. Jenna later gets behind on her mortgage payments after being laid off, and sells the house.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Gabrielle has a beautiful head of curly blonde hair, and is a very kind and caring person.
  • Halfway Plot Switch: The first half seems to be about Jenna learning to accept that Albert is the best qualified for her team. Then he dies on the street, she loses her job and has to start again while learning the Aesop.
  • Hollywood Autism: Averted, which shouldn't be a surprise, since Joseph Fuller is autistic himself.
    • Albert has some mild social anxiety but is perfectly social, and is said to be extremely creative and business savvy. He has trouble making eye contact, but is otherwise able to pass for neurotypical throughout his interview.
    • Anthony is contrasted to show some differences in terms of an autistic meltdown when Jenna is too assertive with him.
  • Informed Ability: We never see Albert's work; just Gabrielle looking at some examples and being impressed.
  • Letting Her Hair Down: Inverted. Jenna starts learning her lesson when she wears her hair up.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Jenna says this word for word when she discovers Albert died because of her.
  • Orphan's Ordeal: Albert's parents being dead forms conflict in why he needs to get hired by Jenna. Having no family to take care of him when he's evicted leads to his death on the streets.
  • Persecution Flip: Gabrielle reminds Jenna that she faced lots of discrimination for being an immigrant when she first moved to Ireland - making her ableism very ironic.
  • Prejudice Aesop: Of the ableism variety; Jenna has to learn to not discriminate against those with disabilities.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gabrielle gives Jenna a speech, calling her on her ableism. While she's on a business call too, and the other people on the call do so as well.
  • Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Averted. Gabrielle is prone to stuttering and Jenna speaks quite naturalistically too.
  • Rebuilt Pedestal: Upon discovering that Jenna has learned her lesson, Gabrielle goes back into business with her.
  • Start My Own: Jenna and Gabrielle have started their own business in the final scene.
  • Sweet and Sour Grapes: In learning her Aesop, Jenna gets Gabrielle's friendship back - and that also allows her a place to stay and a business partner.
  • This Loser Is You: Played with in the sense that Jenna is actually a very successful businesswoman. But she's there to be an Audience Surrogate of viewers who only know of autism through myths or discriminate against people with disabilities.
  • Title Drop: Jenna says so in the final scene. It's a Meaningful Echo of when Gabrielle says it earlier.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Jenna turning Albert down for the position results in his eviction, his death, and her losing her own job.

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