The Expat Review: Nicole Kidman Leads Lulu Wang’s Exciting and Well-Crafted Series | web series

Lulu Wang’s new limited series begins with an outline of a series of tragic titles. The Doctor falls asleep at the wheel and is killed by three pedestrians. A small plane suddenly crashes due to bad weather, killing many skiers. Elsewhere, a friendly argument between two brothers results in one of them being in dire health. These accidents change these people’s lives forever.

As told by Mercy (Ji-Young Yoo), whose life is forever changed by the tragedy, it’s a reflection of how each of these news reports never asks what led up to the tragedy. What about the people involved in them? Will the burden of their guilt leave them for a better morning?

Immigrants ask these questions with vitality and care, allowing room for perspective and revelation. It’s a powerful, well-acted show led by Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman. (ALSO READ: The Summers in review: The passage of time shapes this wonderful father-son drama)

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The actress plays the role of Margaret, a landscape architect. When we first meet him, we do not understand the reason for his immense sadness. She is married to Clark (Brian Tee), whose job transfer has taken them from New York to Hong Kong. She’s here with her son and daughter, planning Clark’s 50th birthday party. The party is just an excuse to make things easier, which goes awry when Margaret spots Mercy there as a server. Anyway, it brings Margaret closer to her good friend and neighbor Hilary (Saraya Blue), an Indian-American immigrant who is having trouble accepting her husband.

Wang chooses to flesh out the suspense judiciously, and it’s not until the end of episode 2 that we get to what actually happened. Under Mercy’s care, Margaret’s youngest son Gus (Connor J. Gilman) disappears one evening in a crowded market. From here on out, Immigrants weaves the lives of these three women together in simultaneous arcs, interrogating not only their responses to grief and anger, but also the web of privilege that bubbles to the surface. The umbrella protests of 2014 are also considered, doubling the variety of ways that the public finds ways to fight against the forces of mistrust.

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Wang, working here with the talented cinematographer Anna Francesa-Solano, captures the cultural fabric of Hong Kong through a non-judgmental lens. There’s a curious eye for gross excess that’s filled with guilt and uncertainty. The charming fifth episode, almost like a 96-minute stand-alone film in a capsule, breaks away from the tension and follows the lives of the Woos and the Starrs’ babysitters, Essie (Ruby Ruiz, in the show’s most striking performance) and Puri. (Ameline Pardenilla) and their families. The shift in perspective, on laments and arguments about their work and activist choices, is wonderfully conveyed.

Kidman, who has played several privileged female roles in prestige TV dramas, is quite good as Margaret. But, Expats finds its true power and light in the hands of Blue and Yo. One was an actor who had been working on supporting roles for some time, who finally expands on his character. He is a force to watch here. The second delivers a truly breakout performance: challenging and captivating at every point. With these three women, immigrants find the nuances of motherhood and grief that exist in the uncertain spaces of society.

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