5 Movies that Can Inspire Better Remote Collaboration and Enhance Cultural Competency Training

Does remote work feel harder than it should? Unanswered messages, misunderstandings, and simple tasks taking way longer than needed can all be frustrating if they aren’t addressed. For remote professionals, team managers, and intercultural experts, learning how to manage these virtual, intercultural environments can make a huge difference in team collaboration and overall satisfaction. 
 
One of the best ways to connect and better understand others is through stories. In this blog, we’ll discuss 5 interesting movies that reflect intercultural expert, Maria Garaitonandia's insights, from her feature on The Berlitz Language & Culture Podcast, for efficient team building and conflict resolution. 
 
Let’s discover how we can all work better, together!  

What is Intercultural Communication? Why Does It Matter? 

Intercultural communication is the “communication process between people of different cultural backgrounds.” (Shibata, 1998). This includes how we share information, ideas, and emotions. Since we all have different perspectives, we can avoid misunderstandings and friction in communication if we learn how to bridge the differences in our cultural norms, languages, and values. 

The Rise of Virtual Work and its Challenges 

Remote work is now a standard part of work, with 91% of employees worldwide expressing a strong preference for this setup (Statista, 2024). While the freedom to work anywhere offers many advantages, such as flexibility, cost-efficiency, and convenience, it also brings forth challenges that continue to affect organizations of all sizes and industries: 

1. Time zone differences 

Limited overlapping work hours for team members spread across the globe can delay communication, affect decision-making and task handoffs, and often create workflow bottlenecks. 

2. Heavy reliance on text communication

While quick and convenient, text-based communication lacks vocal tone, expressions, and body language. This, along with language barriers, can lead to misinterpretation and miscommunication. 

3. Lack of opportunities to build familiarity 

The absence of shared spaces to have organic interactions limits relationship-building. This makes it harder for team members to learn more about one another beyond shared projects and perpetuates misconceptions and stereotypes about one another, affecting overall collaboration quality. 

The solution? Intentional strategies that foster team work, cultivate thoughtful mindsets, and dismantle stereotypes. 
 
To inspire solutions for your remote team, we’ve compiled 5 movies that capture the essence of remote work culture and insights we can learn based on our interview with intercultural expert, Maria Garaitonandia. 

1. Arrival (2016) – How to Address Communication Challenges

When aliens arrive on earth, fear and mistrust dominate as global leaders clash over the right approach to deal with the outsiders – some advocate tactical advances while others push for aggression. The main conflict lies in communication as the aliens have a unique language and way of thinking, leaving a linguistics professor tasked with deciphering alien language to form a connection and prevent conflict. This parallels remote team dynamics. Much like how the varying leadership approaches and communication barriers hinder global unity in Arrival, remote workers often face challenges due to differing work styles, cultural values, and language barriers. These disconnects leave team members feeling unheard or unappreciated. But, just as the professor in the movie demonstrates patience and willingness to understand, remote teams can overcome communication challenges by respecting differences and working toward shared goals. 
 
The Lesson: Incorporate the “disclaimer method”. Maria suggests starting projects by establishing open channels for clarification. By normalizing open communication – whether it's asking, ‘Did I understand you correctly?’ or paraphrasing complex ideas – teams can create a safe space where misunderstandings are mitigated before they can escalate and ensure everyone feels valued and heard. 

2. Dead Poets Society (2011) – Leading with Why for Better Cooperation  

This movie focuses on the transformative power of connection and purpose within a challenging environment. Through unorthodox methods, an English teacher reminds his students of the power of pursuing their passions despite societal constraints, inspiring the classroom to become more receptive toward learning and self-expression.  
Similarly, remote workers often struggle with disengagement due to the barriers of virtual setups, such as the absence of spaces for organic interactions and differing time zones. However, much like the students in the film, remote team members become more proactive and compliant when they feel connected with the team’s goals and understand the larger impact of their contributions. 
 
The Lesson: Communicate your “why” behind actions, decisions, and requests to improve receptivity and cooperation from virtual team members. According to Simon Sinek’s Why framework, clearly explaining your motivations and purpose before giving orders makes your intentions more relatable. This inspires others to work towards a common goal and lessens friction within teams. 

3. Inside Out (2015) – Resolving Tension Through Emotional Awareness 

While this children’s film offers many lessons about better understanding diverse perspectives through emotional intelligence, within remote teams, language barriers and cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications, leaving members feeling frustrated, alone, and excluded. By being mindful of recognizing and self-regulating our own emotions when faced with conflict and practicing empathy for others, teams can foster a more inclusive and supportive environment. 
 
The Lesson: The expert, Maria Garaitonandia, emphasizes using tools like the “Describe, Interpret, Evaluate” approach for conflict resolution. When we practice objective analysis before making assumptions about others, we can have more constructive discussions, even in the most difficult situations. 

4. The Intern (2015) – Establish Trust-Building Early to Avoid Conflict

If you’re looking for an endearing film about workplace harmony, this is it! This story shows how bridging generational and cultural gaps through trust fosters better collaboration and reduces conflict. A 70-year-old enters a startup and first focuses on observing the differing work styles of younger employees – informal and direct – and their boss, who is more confrontational. By adapting to these dynamics and offering subtle guidance instead of blaming either side, he helps the team understand each other better. As our intercultural expert points out in our podcast Episode 1, the diverse nature of virtual teams also creates friction due to differences in communication styles, such as high-context (indirect communicators) vs. low-context (direct communicators) cultures, as well as generational differences. 
 
The Lesson: Effective team collaboration starts with setting clear expectations early on. Maria emphasizes, ‘It's very important for the leader to be aware of that kind of responsibility.’ Establishing a safe and supportive space at the beginning fosters trust, which in turn, encourages open communication, enabling feedback to be shared constructively and positively for a more productive and harmonious work environment. 

5. McFarland, USA – Icebreakers Strengthen Diverse Teams

Based on a true story, this inspirational film follows a coach who leads a team of underprivileged and culturally diverse students to become championship runners. Initially, cultural clashes and differing priorities create resistance – the coach expects the students to prioritize running, while the students have familiar and cultural responsibilities that he isn’t familiar with. The coach eventually breaks the ice by partaking in the students’ daily obligations, allowing him to adapt his coaching style to their needs. This earns their trust and transforms them into a more collaborative team. Remote teams also have diverse cultural backgrounds, which causes struggles to understand each other’s perspectives. Leaders can also use icebreakers to identify cultural gaps and build trust for enhanced team collaboration. 
 
The Lesson: Icebreakers help virtual teams connect by turning unfamiliar colleagues into more relatable people. Leaders should create opportunities for members to get to know one another, as this helps people become more accountable and approachable. This added step builds trust early in a project, allowing members to become more comfortable communicating with each other. 

Trust is the Backbone of Team Success 

Effective communication is more than exchanging information – it’s about prioritizing trust through openness, clarity, and empathy. In this digital age, where remote work is often the norm, staying connected is essential for managing challenges and adapting to evolving team dynamics.  
Consuming more stories like the examples above can help you understand different perspectives, while insights from thought leaders like Maria Garaitonandia provide practical guidance. This is the formula for creating a strong foundation for team success, no matter how different the group is. 

Strong teams aren't built by chance; they’re built by choice.  

If you want to listen to the Episode from our Berlitz Language & Culture Podcast with the expert Maria Garaitonandia talking about effective communication for intercultural remote teams, go to our Podcasts.