'Expats' mini-series review: Nicole Kidman and Lulu Wang paint a heartfelt and melancholic portrait about loneliness

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, ji-young Yoo, Brian Tee

Director: Lulu Wang

Langauge: English

A woman is sitting by the seaside and manifesting about being alone, away from her husband and everyone else. Why does she say so? The hushed whispers of Nicole Kidman’s mini-series that’s created by Lulu Wang do a restrained job of informing us about her loneliness and longing. It’s based on the novel by Janice Y.K. Lee titled The Expatriates, and the title is defined by its uniqueness. We have seen many odes to longing before but what sets this mini series apart is how it infuses a sense of grip with its narrative.

The show is set in Hong Kong, and the other principal characters of the series suffer from the same complexities as Margaret Woo, played by Kidman. There are confrontations, clandestine conversations, and as stated above, manifestations and wishes. It’s tough to stay away from your home and build a new life, it’s tougher to go back to where you belong. Family dynamics go through major metamorphosis and conflicts arise out of nowhere. Expats attempts to look at the fragility and unpredictability of life with a lense of restrain and mostly succeeds in sucking you in its grim world.

The aftermath of loss

Margaret has lost a child in a tragedy on the streets of Hong Kong and the city is haunting her to the core. She’s bogged down by the wait of justice and hounded by the horror of loneliness. And Kidman beautifully encapsulates these similar feelings with the kind of experience she brings along to the table. Equally effective and effervescent is Sarayu Blue, who compliments Kidman at every step of this atmospheric mini-series.

To be or not to be

Expats raises crucial questions. In the need for a better life, we leave our household. But the new life brings along its share of issues that cripple our emotions. What’s the point of financial stability when everything else becomes unstable? To be or not to be? Some questions may remain unanswered.

Expats is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)