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PORTSIDE CULTURE

EXPATS REVIEW: NICOLE KIDMAN LEADS A BEAUTIFULLY DEVASTATING DRAMA  
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Saloni Gajjar
January 28, 2024
AV Club
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_ Prime Video's series, created by The Farewell’s Lulu Wang, is a
tragic and truthful rumination on womanhood. The show also sprinkles
in arcs about class differences, racism, and motherhood. _

Nicole Kidman in Expats, Photo: Prime Video

 

_Expats_
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designed to both emotionally wreck and inspire its audience. Prime
Video
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six-part series, which premieres January 26
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has a keen understanding of womanhood, with the type of brutal
authenticity that only comes from having women in front of and behind
the camera. Helmed by _The Farewell_’
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Lulu Wang, the all-female writers’ room doles out an affecting hit
in _Expats_ [[link removed]]. To top
it off,_ _the show is led by Nicole Kidman
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not surprisingly, is a force of nature here. She’s the big hook, of
course, but Kidman isn’t the only marvel. Her co-stars, Sarayu Blue
and Ji-young Yoo, are equally powerful, helping to tell a profound
story about grief, loss, and the burden of trying to move on.

The show does risk self-indulgence at times, especially with its
luxurious pacing and the way it milks one horrendous incident in the
lives of its leading trio for theatrical effect. Luckily, the expected
bouts of melodrama are circumvented because _Expats _grounds itself
in an unflinching reality, no matter how sad, shocking, or sublime.
Wang’s audaciousness as a creator—and as an artist unafraid to
take risks while championing diverse stories—is rewarding, too. She
captures Hong Kong beautifully, with some particularly lovely
camerawork in the premiere, and the show’s potent, 97-minute
penultimate episode is basically an indie movie all its own.

REVIEWS [[link removed]]

Expats

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_Expats_’ overarching thesis is similar to the novel on which it’s
based, Janice Y.K. Lee’s acclaimed _The Expatriates_. The show
dwells on three American expats and how they adapt to a tragedy in
their tight-knit, fast-paced Hong Kong community. There’s Margaret
(Kidman), a mother of three who gives up her career in the U.S. to
move across the world for her husband’s new job. Then there’s
Mercy (Yoo), a rebellious 24-year-old Korean who recently graduated
from Columbia and is hoping for a fresh start. Meanwhile, an ambitious
Hilary (Blue) suffers from marital strife as she debates whether or
not she wants a child.

But _Expats _also differs from the book thanks to a few inventive
choices. First among them is the decision to make Hilary, a.k.a.
Harpreet Singh, a character of Indian origin. This lends a deeper
perspective to both Hilary’s storyline and_ _to _Expats_ as a
whole. Episode four, for instance, features a masterful guest
appearance from British theater star Sudha Bhuchar as Hilary’s
mother, with the two going back and forth about Hilary’s solemn
upbringing. Their conversation is steeped in honesty and hurt, and the
drama hits even harder as the actors seamlessly switch from English to
Punjabi.

There’s also an expanded spotlight on talented Filipino supporting
cast members like Ruby Ruiz and Amelyn Pardenilla, who play the house
staff of the wealthy protagonists. _Expats _doesn’t leave these
characters in the shadows. Instead, it provides a meaningful portrait
of their day-to-day lives, including exchanges in Tagalog that help
create a deeply immersive experience. The show weaves its
characters’ journeys together to form an unshakeable tale, and Wang
and her team somehow achieve this without making _Expats _feel
rushed or overstuffed.

Expats - Official Trailer | Prime Video

The writing makes a point to distinguish the personalities and
backgrounds of the three lead characters, which helps each of the
women resonate with viewers. Through them, _Expats _examines the
tough process of dealing with unavoidable emotions like loneliness,
guilt, grief, and abandonment. The tragic, almost cataclysmic, event
that binds them occurs when Mercy, who is taking care of Margaret’s
youngest son, loses him in a crowded night market. Hilary’s husband,
David (Jack Huston), briefly becomes a suspect, and the events
permanently scar the friendship between Margaret and Hilary, who live
in the same high-rise building.

Kidman is gut-wrenching as a grieving mom, communicating her ache in
every way, most crucially through her eyes and expressions. It’s
impossible to look away from her. Blue and Yoo match Kidman’s
energy, and together they’re a trio to be reckoned with. Through
these performances, _Expats _excruciatingly examines what it’s
like to make mistakes, to learn to live with them and to embrace the
future despite uncertainty and agony. It’s a poignant drama about
simply being human.

The show also sprinkles in arcs about class differences, racism, and
motherhood, without making any of those issues feel tacked on. The
project is aided by a terrific ensemble, including Brian Tee as
Margaret’s caring partner, Clarke. At its core,
though, _Expats _is a meditation on womanhood and the ancillary
pressures placed on them by society, parents, children, partners, and
even themselves. a deeply heart-wrenching drama, _Expats _is not
always an easy watch. But Wang has gifted us with a truly formidable
show, the kind that sticks with you long after the credits roll.

* Racism
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* classism
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* motherhood
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* Expats
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* prime video
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