Outsourced
The events in the movie Outsourced revolve around a call center manager named Todd. In the movie, Todd was fired and later sent to India to work as a consultant where he was required to train his own replacements. Prior to being fired by the company called Western Novelty, Todd Anderson was in a managerial position where he managed the order fulfillment in call center. Todd had the authority of supervising the sales representatives whose responsibility was to answer calls. He also answered customer queries that were not yet on the website.
Todd Anderson’s personal life was also in jeopardy, because he had recently gone through a break-up with his girlfriend. His girlfriend undermined Todd as a person, and this fact among others was the main cause of conflict in their relationship. Todd’s girlfriend also undermined his job at Western Novelty since she described it as that of selling kitsch to rednecks. Western Novelty’s products included burger branders, cheese head hats and plaster of Paris. Todd’s boss was a man called Dave. He was responsible for delivering the news of outsourcing the entire department. This news caught Todd by surprise mostly because employees were being outsourced to India.
This outsourcing decision made by the management greatly disadvantaged the employees since one outsource program offered one slot among eight employees. Todd received an ultimatum whereby he had to choose between quitting his job and relocating to India. Todd reluctantly agreed to move to Bombay. The motivational factor behind his resolve to move to India was founded on the fact that he did not want to lose his unvested stock options. Quitting his job would also mean that he would not have access to any unemployment insurance payments. Todd moved to a village in India where he worked under a new manager called Purohit.
The movie Outsourced is brilliant, because the plot is excellent given the fact that it keeps the viewer interested in the events that take place in the movie. The characters in the film are also good in that the audience relate to them, because of their acting that appears real. Todd depicts the life situation of the majority of American population who are the middle class citizens facing family and financial challenges. The movie Outsourced incorporates a taste of comedy, romance and drama thus making the movie favorable to a wider range of viewers.
The movie is educative at some level, because it introduces the audience to a new culture and teaches that one can create an opportunity out of a grim situation. Good movies should have the capacity to educate viewers and enable them get understanding of something new. In this movie, the viewer gets a deeper understanding of the Indian culture. Indian cultural practices such as religion are exposed in the movie. Todd was engaged in some religious practices whereby he learnt about life situations. This was in the situation when Asha explained to Todd about the goddess of destruction Kali and how she made it possible to end one cycle to give way for the beginning of another.
The movie Outsourced reflects the society. It also provides elements that serve to inspire and encourage the viewer in overcoming challenges and barriers that life may pose. The movie serves to encourage people to become patient and persevere in the event of troubling times. Todd managed to resettle in a small village in India where he met a girl Asha and developed a romantic relationship. The actors in the movie gave an outstanding performance as they were able to bring out the script as the director desired it.
The movie also touches the emotions of the viewer. The movie invokes emotions of pity and sorrow, especially where Todd is given an ultimatum to relocate to India or lose his job. At the same time, Todd experiences problems with his American girlfriend. Therefore, the movie inspires and teaches and at the same time provokes the viewer emotionally. The visual display of the movie was magnificent. This is from the beautiful scenes that are mostly captured in India. This consequently provides a change from clichés evident in the other movies. These beautiful scenarios served as an attraction to the viewer and show difference in culture.
One of the unusual events in Outsourced is Todd Anderson’s quick adaptation to the Indian culture. Todd is not depicted as having any prior knowledge of the Indian culture. Even without this knowledge, Todd adapts to the Indian culture very quickly and the only challenge he faces is adapting to the Indian foods. Todd’s openness to the Indian culture comes as a surprise. He engages in Indian religious activities with his new girlfriend Asha, who told him about the goddess of destruction Kali.
It is also unusual that people from different cultures and backgrounds could share so much. Todd relates considerably well with Indian residents in the workplace. He even manages to have a romantic relationship with an Indian girl. There are many challenges experienced in the interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds. One of the challenges is poor communication. This is due to the presence of language barriers, which inhibits communication between people from different cultural backgrounds. In the movie Outsourced, Todd is depicted as having the ability to communicate rather well with his Indian counterparts. This comes as a big surprise judging by the fact that it is a new environment with new people.
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The time flow in the movie is well planned. This is seen from the organization of the plot of the movie where the events unfold in a timely manner. This is evident in the transition from the life Todd leads in the United States to his settling in a village in India. The roles of female and male counterparts are rigidly defined in some cultures. This is evident where female and male roles are clearly defined in the Indian culture, and their roles in the society are clearly stipulated. This is not the case in the American culture where gender equity is prevalent.
The movie portrays differences incultures of the western and third-world countries. The major cause of this cultural difference is the development levels of these countries. Countries that are less developed are likely to maintain and practice cultural aspects as opposed to the developed countries. America in the movie is portrayed as a developed country as opposed to India that still has village settings present because of its low development levels. Hence, there are differences in the cultural aspects in terms of societal norms and cultural values. Dominant values such as religion are present in the Indian culture, but lack in the American culture as it is depicted in the movie.
Geert Hofstede’s theory, where he analyzes cultural dimensions of countries, gives a better understanding of cultural differences between the United States and India. His research has also revealed that regional and national cultural groups influence the way societies and organizations relate with each other. He also revealed the factors that influence culture in the United States. One of these factors is individualism, which is rampant in the United States. Long-term orientation is another factor affecting a society’s search for virtues. Hence, the United States is associated with short-term oriented culture, which is focused on the fulfillment of social obligations. Hofstede’s ideology is clearly seen in the differences between American and Indian cultures.