Overseas
**Seen for the 2020 Atlanta Film Festival
“Overseas” speaks to issues of income inequality and the way we look at certain jobs in a way that would serve us greatly to really consider hard. One of the things that is often at the heart of the minimum wage debate in America is how people think a living wage is something that should be earned through hard work, and that customer service jobs like McDonald’s and other such vocations are not SUPPOSED to represent a way of living. The women in “Overseas” are not working those types of jobs, but the ones they do are looked down upon all the same, and seeing them go through the training for said jobs is not easy in the least.
Directed by Soon-a Yoon, “Overseas” is about Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs. These are women who are being trained for basic servitude jobs as domestic workers or nannies before being recommended to an agency which will place them around the world, taking them away from the families they are going to support, and hope to help build a life for with the money they make working for the upper class. The training they get is not just about how to do the menial tasks they will be asked to do, but also in dealing with verbal and physical abuse from their employers. Some of the stories we hear are painful and heartbreaking.
Why does it seem so difficult for people to treat those in service of others with respect? Whether it’s a server at a restaurant or someone coming into their homes or someone at a store trying to assist them, it feels as though we cannot go a day online without hearing about- or seeing- some truly toxic behavior towards people just doing their jobs. The opening of this film is immensely powerful- we see a young woman on her knees, cleaning a bathroom. Yoon’s camera just stays solitary, looking in from the other room, as the woman cleans every inch. We don’t see anyone else come in, or out, of the bathroom. The longer the woman works, we see tears come to her eyes. It sets the tone for the entire movie, and it’s sad to see how training for these women has to include tips on what to do if you are sexually or physically assaulted, and hearing how one young woman just talks about instances of harassment by different members of the family she was with will be triggering to some people watching the movie. Ideally, no one, especially someone whom is being brought into a home to work for a family, should have to endure this. Unfortunately, the fact that they have to isn’t terribly surprising; it’s just depressing it has to be part of their training.
Films such as “Overseas” point to harsh truths in the world, but they also shed light on humanity at its most inspiring, as well. These women are doing the only thing they think they can do for their families, and that sacrifice is moving to watch, as is the bond they form with one another. Being there for each other is one of the best things they can do, and it helps them through a tough transition that will test them as they are processed into a system that, probably, shouldn’t exist, and feels exploitative. Until it changes, though, they’re doing what they can for their families. What else can be expected of them? For that reason alone, more should be expected of the people they serve. They deserve it.
