Can tragedy provoke a larger discussion? Lulu Wang explores the complex issues surrounding privilege and social conscience in “Expats.” The filmmaker additionally serves as creator, executive producer, and writer on this adaptation of Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel “The Expatriates.” The project features a notable cast, with Nicole Kidman working alongside acclaimed talents Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, Brian Tee, and Jack Huston; Kidman is also an executive producer.
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The series’ fifth episode may be the most intriguing as well as thought-provoking; it looks at domestic workers and the secret world they inhabit away from their privileged employers. Viewers got their first look at the series during the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. In preparation for its debut, the director spoke with Vanity Fair. “I was so nervous about how I was going to be able to portray Hong Kong and making sure that the bubble of the expat world was intentional, that I was examining it as opposed to just indulging in it,” Wang told the outlet.
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The limited series’ official synopsis:
“Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, “Expats” centers on three American women—Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo)—whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred. Brian Tee, who plays Margaret’s husband Clarke, and Jack Huston, who plays Hilary’s husband David, also star in the series.”
Lives are unexpectedly connected by tragedy in “Expats.” The limited series comes to Prime Video in early 2024. Get your first look at the trailer below.