There’s something more meaningful at play in Prime Video’s Expats. The series, written by The Farewell’s Lulu Wang, is an intensely intimate portrait of women and children from different times and perspectives in their lives. Wang’s writing pays the viewer a compliment by not pandering with endless amounts of exposition. The viewer has to earn it by paying careful attention to what’s happening to the characters and the world around them.
At first glance, you can be prone to roll your eyes at Expats. That’s because it is yet another story of the troubles of the rich. However, the story begins to take shape. One of Wang’s addictive writing moments is when one of the characters says that Hong Kong is a small town.
Absurd on the surface but profound underneath, Hong Kong has over 360,000 “expats.” The area is like a gold rush, rich with opportunities. However, expats from far and wide stick together, as the great city of Hong Kong will always be foreign to them. Visitors have a chance of prosperity, while locals experience oppression.
Ms. Wang revolves her story around three characters who live rich, vibrant, and fulfilling lives. Margaret (Nicole Kidman) is the mother of three beautiful children. She is also married to her successful husband, Clarke (a heartbreaking Brian Tee). They have settled into the city’s lifestyle for the long haul, with Margaret putting her career on hold.
Margaret and her neighbor, Hilary (Sarayu Blue), used to be good friends. However, you can cut the tension together with a knife while on the elevator. The reason for their crumbling friendship is unspoken. What is clear is that Margaret has done it because Hilary turned down an invitation to Clarke’s birthday. Hilary is married to David (the always entertaining Jack Huston).
David wants to have children, but Hilary is secretly taking birth control because she doesn’t want a family. This leads to a character who changes both women’s lives, like a bowling ball in a china shop. Her name is Mercy (Ji-young Yoo). She is a free spirit on a bit of a walkabout through Hong Kong. She makes a fatal mistake in a job interview with Margaret, leading to repercussions that change everyone’s lives forever.
Based on the novel by Janice Y. K. Lee, Expats excels in how denial is a driving force in all of the characters. Almost every relationship is coasting along, not discussing what’s on their minds. Ignoring their loving families’ wishes, and neglecting their needs while pressing their own. That’s the subtext under Ms. Wang’s first series on television.
A horrific tragedy—which is not a spoiler considering the trailer, but we won’t ruin it here—is used as a canvas to explore the subversion of the female identity. These characters are subversive in some way or have actions that indicate the challenge of a woman’s role. In particular, there is a need for procreation.
Kidman’s Margaret has a loss of identity. Just being Clarke’s wife and mother of three does not necessarily fulfill her. Hilary has never felt the need to have children, considering her father’s history of abuse and infidelity. Not to mention, having a child will saddle her with keeping a ceiling on her professional ambitions. Mercy, who is American, gets caught up in political movements while ignoring her identity, coming from a world of privilege.
As the story unfolds, Ms. Wang’s Expats becomes authentic and deeply affecting. The tragedy brings down the walls, initiating real and honest discussions for the first time on the role of race, love, sex, trauma, family, grief, and behavioral predictability. Kidman excels in the role, filled with guilt, rage, and forgiveness.
While Kidman’s Margaret is trying to keep her family in the past, Brian Tee is a revelation as Clarke, who is trying to drag his family out of it. Two scenes struck me in particular. When the breaking point of an emotional meltdown brings him to the scene, the end result is practically profound. On the other hand, as a stoic man of faith counsels him, Tee’s soulful and poignant turn becomes moving.
Ms. Wang’s Expats has an eye for the tiniest moments, which helps move a story that is told honestly. This is also highlighted by Alex Weston’s gorgeous score. While the series can be slow, even stagnant, at times, it manages enough goodwill to carry the viewer to the end, even if the ending will be divisive for many.
Expats will debut on Prime Video on January 26, 2024.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whHb3ClSdrQ]
Ms. Wang's Expats has an eye for the tiniest moments, which helps move a story that is told honestly. This is also highlighted by Alex Weston's gorgeous score. While the series can be slow, even stagnant, at times, it manages enough goodwill to carry the viewer to the end, even if the ending will be divisive for many.
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I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.
