A new limited series from Higher Ground Productions and Concordia Studio, hosted by former President Barack Obama and directed by Caroline Suh, dropped on Netflix The series chronicles working individuals across America, not only from different work profiles but also from different ethnicities and countries. It shadows working individuals starting with three women around in the first episode: Elba, who works as a housekeeper at New York’s Pierre Hotel; Randi, a home care aide in Mississippi; and Carmen, a delivery driver for Uber Eats in Pittsburgh. Their journeys are not just a reflection of the hierarchy and challenges that they face at work but also showcase how they mitigate these obstacles to see the brighter side of the work that they are doing.
Randi looks after an elderly person and muses how she would like to be treated when she ages – to be looked after with care and hygiene. She cleans, washes and is also shown to make a rapport with her client who is visibly decades older. Elba’s journey shows her religiously putting her soul into her job and, at the same time, managing home chores. These are women who are running the world and homes – all with a smile.
The series talks about millennials' growing urge to look out for work-life balance, impact and seek happiness outside of their work, through side gigs. It looks at those like Luke who, when not pursuing the job that pays the bills, is trying to improve his music. The series also takes a wider look at aspects of pay gaps, aspirations, technology overtaking certain work profiles and unions from the angle of dynamic socio -economic conditions in the region.
For an Indian audience, apart from the short glimpse of Natarajan Chandrasekaran of Chairman of Tata Group, we get to see the journaling of Karthik, who works as a Robotics Engineer. He talks about how aspirations vary for every individual. His dream of making a difference with technology will remind you of the dreams of tech-savvy working professionals in India who go through the same cycle of endeavouring to build upon India’s digital ambitions, irrespective of where they work – a startup or a conglomerate.
The journey of Francois-Olivier Luiggi focuses on how someone who has been a veteran in an industry is always trying to find purpose. A scene in which Francois displays his work desk beautifully captures his affection and pride for the work he has done over years.
Despite being inspired by a certain geography, the series is an insightful watch for anyone breathing, respecting and mentally journaling about work, life and careers.