With a captivating narrative that delves into profound themes of grief, womanhood, and geographical displacement, Lulu Wang's Prime Video series "Expats" follows on from her deeply personal debut feature, "The Farewell".
Sprawling over six episodes and six and a half hours, the prodigious series revolves around the compelling stories of three women impacted by a catastrophic family tragedy. The narrative weaves through their experiences living in a small community of wealthy expatriates in Hong Kong in 2014, as portrayed in Yasmin Y.K. Lee's 2016 novel "Expatriates."
Nicole Kidman brilliantly portrays Margaret, an architect turned housewife, haunted by the unresolved disappearance of her young son, whilst her good friend and neighbor, Hilary, played by Sarayu Blue, grapples with a struggling marriage amidst unfaithfulness and infertility. Distinctly different is the character of Mercy, a Korean-American young woman working menial jobs, who's impulsive actions culminate in tragedy and guilt.
Wang masterfully creates a veil of suspense over the crux of the tragedy, with the storyline picking up a year after the incident. It's not until the end of the second episode that we learn the exact details of the incident and Kane's role in it.
"Expats" is a character-driven drama that engrosses audiences with its culturally specific nuances and the sensitive portrayal of three women living in the crossroads of their lives. The performances of Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-Young Yoo are captivating, with each actress offering a unique, heartbreaking narrative and a superb portrayal of their character's complexities.
Moreover, "Expats" distinguishes itself from other dramas of its type with its deep cultural authenticity. The series captures the vibrancy of Hong Kong’s night markets and the cold, alienating modernism of the wealthy expatriates through the lens of Director of Photography, Anna Franquesa-Solano. It highlights the divide between the haves and have-nots, shedding light on the lives of the servants largely unseen in the background - most of them Filipino domestic workers.
The series is intense and emotionally powerful, to be best digested in small doses rather than in a single binge. It is a complex and heavy narrative, with vast possibilities and uncertain outcomes, reflecting the transitory space of the expatriate. "Expats" will be available for streaming on Amazon's Prime Video beginning January 26.
