If you want to tell a story about expats in Hong Kong or anywhere else, one of the problems you’ll run into is that they necessarily have enough wealth to insulate their lives from a lot of the forces that loom over the locals — like politics and time. The three protagonists of “Expats” are all varying degrees of privileged and enmeshed in varying levels of grief that make them, as we all are, both victims of and perpetrators to the people around them. Director Lulu Wang, though, finds a wonderful cinematic answer to the question of how to connect the Prime Video series’ expatriates to the world around them, even if they can’t quite see it.
Mops.
Well, not always mops, but a moment at the start of the sixth and final episode is a great example of the canny visual ways Wang and her team make everything...
Mops.
Well, not always mops, but a moment at the start of the sixth and final episode is a great example of the canny visual ways Wang and her team make everything...
- 2/23/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
[This story contains spoilers through the fifth episode of Expats, “Central.”]
A show called Expats understandably focuses on the cosmopolitan lives of those privileged enough to make their fortunes abroad, and for most of the Amazon limited series’ six episodes, it does just that, following neighbors Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and Hilary (Sarayu Blue). The two wealthy women live in Hong Kong’s tony Victoria Peak neighborhood, as well as Mercy (Ji-young Yoo), the American drifter who complicates both of their lives. To recap: Mercy was tasked with watching Margaret’s two sons during a night market outing when the younger one disappeared. A year later, Gus is still missing, and Mercy is having an affair with Hilary’s husband, David (Jack Huston).
But the fifth episode drifts away from the trio of protagonists to focus on characters that have heretofore existed in the background, sometimes literally. “Central” (each episode of Expats is named after a geographically significant area in...
A show called Expats understandably focuses on the cosmopolitan lives of those privileged enough to make their fortunes abroad, and for most of the Amazon limited series’ six episodes, it does just that, following neighbors Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and Hilary (Sarayu Blue). The two wealthy women live in Hong Kong’s tony Victoria Peak neighborhood, as well as Mercy (Ji-young Yoo), the American drifter who complicates both of their lives. To recap: Mercy was tasked with watching Margaret’s two sons during a night market outing when the younger one disappeared. A year later, Gus is still missing, and Mercy is having an affair with Hilary’s husband, David (Jack Huston).
But the fifth episode drifts away from the trio of protagonists to focus on characters that have heretofore existed in the background, sometimes literally. “Central” (each episode of Expats is named after a geographically significant area in...
- 2/17/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers for “Central,” the fifth episode of “Expats,” now streaming on Prime Video.
Lulu Wang’s “Expats” steps into feature-length territory for this week’s episode, which focuses on the working class women by diving into the lives of the helpers, Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla). The story steps away from the wealthy world of Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and Hillary (Sarayu Blue), instead following Essie and Puri on their day off, unwinding from their hectic work week.
Poor Essie has spent much of the series fraught with guilt over the disappeareance of Margaret’s son, Gus, blaming herself for not being there the night the young boy vanished at the night market. Early in this week’s episode, the nanny is Facetiming with her son, who is in the Philippines, anticipating that she will return “soon.” Essie believes Margaret will head back to...
Lulu Wang’s “Expats” steps into feature-length territory for this week’s episode, which focuses on the working class women by diving into the lives of the helpers, Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla). The story steps away from the wealthy world of Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and Hillary (Sarayu Blue), instead following Essie and Puri on their day off, unwinding from their hectic work week.
Poor Essie has spent much of the series fraught with guilt over the disappeareance of Margaret’s son, Gus, blaming herself for not being there the night the young boy vanished at the night market. Early in this week’s episode, the nanny is Facetiming with her son, who is in the Philippines, anticipating that she will return “soon.” Essie believes Margaret will head back to...
- 2/17/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Part of what makes “Expats” so potent is that it focuses on three women in Hong Kong grappling with momentous life changes in 2014 when the city was doing the same. But the Hong Kong of today — even the Hong Kong of 2020, when the Prime Video series began shooting — is markedly different from the Hong Kong of 2014 when the story is set.
Episode 5, “Central,” explicitly digs into the scale of these changes, as instead of following the show’s main expats, it focuses on local characters of all economic strata caught up in a particularly bad storm at the beginning of the Umbrella Movement protests, from a young activist on the frontlines (Will Orr) to his worried-sick mother (Maggie Lee) to a migrant worker (Amelyn Pardenilla) with big dreams. While the pandemic shifted some of the show’s production from Hong Kong to L.A., production designer Yong Ok Lee knew...
Episode 5, “Central,” explicitly digs into the scale of these changes, as instead of following the show’s main expats, it focuses on local characters of all economic strata caught up in a particularly bad storm at the beginning of the Umbrella Movement protests, from a young activist on the frontlines (Will Orr) to his worried-sick mother (Maggie Lee) to a migrant worker (Amelyn Pardenilla) with big dreams. While the pandemic shifted some of the show’s production from Hong Kong to L.A., production designer Yong Ok Lee knew...
- 2/16/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
On January 26, 2024, Prime Video released “Expats,” a limited series starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as an American living in Hong Kong. The show was created and directed by BAFTA nominee Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) and takes a look at the personal and professional lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates living overseas. The ensemble cast includes Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, Sarayu Blue and Brian Tee.
The series has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics, holding fresh at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our full review round-up below.
See Nicole Kidman movies: 16 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Anna van Praagh of London Evening Standard writes, “Nicole Kidman is mesmerising, the music by Alex Weston is pitch perfect and Lulu Wang has now made her mark as a director of note. This is a triumph.” Concluding, “Based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s 2016 novel ‘The Expatriates’, the six-episode limited series takes...
The series has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics, holding fresh at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our full review round-up below.
See Nicole Kidman movies: 16 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Anna van Praagh of London Evening Standard writes, “Nicole Kidman is mesmerising, the music by Alex Weston is pitch perfect and Lulu Wang has now made her mark as a director of note. This is a triumph.” Concluding, “Based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s 2016 novel ‘The Expatriates’, the six-episode limited series takes...
- 1/28/2024
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Sarayu Blue won her part starring alongside Nicole Kidman in Lulu Wang’s Prime Video limited series Expats at a time when she didn’t know if she “could lift the boulder back up the hill.”
In an interview with Breaking Baz, the Indian-American actress recalls how she had just gone through the jubilation of landing the lead role in Aseem Bahra’s NBC series I Feel Bad in 2018 and the devastation when it was cancelled after just one season. The episode had a real impact.
Landing the role in the Amy Poehler-executive produced comedy had been “an enormous thing,” says Blue, because it was a role that was ”never written Indian…. and I tested against three white women for it.” She instantly corrects herself by replacing the aggressive “against” with a softer “with.”
The role of Emet Kamala-Sweetzer in I Feel Bad, was that of a concept artist and a boss,...
In an interview with Breaking Baz, the Indian-American actress recalls how she had just gone through the jubilation of landing the lead role in Aseem Bahra’s NBC series I Feel Bad in 2018 and the devastation when it was cancelled after just one season. The episode had a real impact.
Landing the role in the Amy Poehler-executive produced comedy had been “an enormous thing,” says Blue, because it was a role that was ”never written Indian…. and I tested against three white women for it.” She instantly corrects herself by replacing the aggressive “against” with a softer “with.”
The role of Emet Kamala-Sweetzer in I Feel Bad, was that of a concept artist and a boss,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Sitting at the center of Expats is a mystery of the sort that’s fueled countless crime dramas, and countless more true-crime series. On an otherwise unremarkable evening in Hong Kong, a little boy, Gus (Connor J. Gillman), goes missing on a night out with his family. The questions raised by this incident are obvious and urgent: What happened to him? Who did it? Where is he now?
But answers, in Amazon Prime Video’s Expats, are much harder to come by. Indeed, the questions the series is really invested in are the ones that arise when it becomes apparent that satisfying answers never might be obtained, of how to exist alongside such uncertainty and unfairness and unthinkable pain. Its six hour-ish episodes follow this line of thought through explorations of sexism and classism, home and family, and with so many big themes bouncing around, some are inevitably served better than others.
But answers, in Amazon Prime Video’s Expats, are much harder to come by. Indeed, the questions the series is really invested in are the ones that arise when it becomes apparent that satisfying answers never might be obtained, of how to exist alongside such uncertainty and unfairness and unthinkable pain. Its six hour-ish episodes follow this line of thought through explorations of sexism and classism, home and family, and with so many big themes bouncing around, some are inevitably served better than others.
- 1/25/2024
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Compared to the more rigid constraints imposed by a traditional TV network series or feature film, streaming provides as little or as much space as necessary to tell a story. But time and time again, this greater freedom results in a lack of concision, a tendency to get lost in the weeds. The latest example is Lulu Wang’s limited series Expats, which attempts to tell a story that might have worked just fine if it weren’t spread across six episodes.
Expats is adapted from Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel The Expatriates, which traces the lives of three American women living in Hong Kong in 2014. The expat community is represented here by Margaret Woo (Nicole Kidman) and Hilary Starr (Sarayu Blue), who live in a luxury apartment building with their husbands and, in Margaret’s case, children. They have live-in “helpers,” and they attend lavish parties even in the midst of tragedy.
Expats is adapted from Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel The Expatriates, which traces the lives of three American women living in Hong Kong in 2014. The expat community is represented here by Margaret Woo (Nicole Kidman) and Hilary Starr (Sarayu Blue), who live in a luxury apartment building with their husbands and, in Margaret’s case, children. They have live-in “helpers,” and they attend lavish parties even in the midst of tragedy.
- 1/25/2024
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
If life is a series of choices, then one persistent question often carries outsized weight: Do I stay, or do I go? Staying means surrounding yourself with family, friends, and familiarity. Going necessitates discovery, be it new places, people, or customs. There are always extremes and exceptions, of course, but the beauty of Lulu Wang’s rich new series, “Expats,” is that it relishes the personal twist on each answer — the unique specificity of life that contends with its universal demands. Maybe staying means choosing one person over another. Maybe going isn’t a choice at all. What remains, as a constant, is the tug of the unknown, the path not chosen, the future that could’ve been — or could still be.
All three protagonists in “Expats” chose, at one point or another, to go. Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) are all Americans living in China.
All three protagonists in “Expats” chose, at one point or another, to go. Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) are all Americans living in China.
- 1/25/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Oscar winner Nicole Kidman leads the cast of Prime Video’s Expats, based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s bestselling novel The Expatriates. The limited series’ official trailer introduces the three women at the heart of the story – Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy.
The six-episode season’s cast also includes Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Margaret’s husband, Clarke, and Jack Huston (House of Gucci) as Hilary’s husband, David. Amelyn Pardenilla plays Puri, Ruby Ruiz is Essie, Will Orr is Tony, and Bonde Sham plays Charly.
Lulu Wang created the series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Daniel Melia, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Alice Bell, Theresa Park, Stan Wlodkowski. Bell, Vera Miao, Gursimran Sandhu, and author Lee are involved as writers alongside Wang.
Brian Tee and Nicole Kidman...
The six-episode season’s cast also includes Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Margaret’s husband, Clarke, and Jack Huston (House of Gucci) as Hilary’s husband, David. Amelyn Pardenilla plays Puri, Ruby Ruiz is Essie, Will Orr is Tony, and Bonde Sham plays Charly.
Lulu Wang created the series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Daniel Melia, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Alice Bell, Theresa Park, Stan Wlodkowski. Bell, Vera Miao, Gursimran Sandhu, and author Lee are involved as writers alongside Wang.
Brian Tee and Nicole Kidman...
- 12/20/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Poster for Prime Video’s ‘Expats’
Expats, based on the bestselling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, will premiere on Prime Video on January 26, 2024. The streaming service’s premiere date announcement was accompanied by the first teaser poster for the six-episode limited series.
Expats stars Oscar and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy. The ensemble also features Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Clarke, Jack Huston (Fargo) as David, Amelyn Pardenilla as Puri, Ruby Ruiz (Iska) as Essie, Will Or as Tony, and Bonde Sham (MidNight Lila) as Charly.
Lulu Wang created the limited series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Vera Miao (Two Sentence Horror Stories), Gursimran Sandhu (Game of Thrones), Alice Bell (The Beautiful Lie), and author Lee also serve as writers. Additional executive producers include Bell,...
Expats, based on the bestselling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, will premiere on Prime Video on January 26, 2024. The streaming service’s premiere date announcement was accompanied by the first teaser poster for the six-episode limited series.
Expats stars Oscar and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy. The ensemble also features Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Clarke, Jack Huston (Fargo) as David, Amelyn Pardenilla as Puri, Ruby Ruiz (Iska) as Essie, Will Or as Tony, and Bonde Sham (MidNight Lila) as Charly.
Lulu Wang created the limited series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Vera Miao (Two Sentence Horror Stories), Gursimran Sandhu (Game of Thrones), Alice Bell (The Beautiful Lie), and author Lee also serve as writers. Additional executive producers include Bell,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Exclusive: Executive Producer Dani Melia describes how “a scrappy team” that made filmmaker Lulu Wang’s acclaimed low-budget feature The Farewell joined forces with Blossom Films’ Nicole Kidman and Per Saari to make “this big international production” Expats for Prime Video.
Melia tells me how she and Wang had “long talked about wanting to continue working together” after making The Farewell.
Then, while they were promoting the movie in Australia, Kidman approached Wang about directing an adaptation of Janice Y.K. Lee’s book The Expatriates.
Wang was excited, and Melia recalls the director telling her: ”I need to find a way to do this with you and the rest of the crew who did The Farewell. I want my creative team onboard, and I think this should be our next thing.”
Melia says that quite a few creatives from The Farewell ended up making the leap with them.
They include Melia herself,...
Melia tells me how she and Wang had “long talked about wanting to continue working together” after making The Farewell.
Then, while they were promoting the movie in Australia, Kidman approached Wang about directing an adaptation of Janice Y.K. Lee’s book The Expatriates.
Wang was excited, and Melia recalls the director telling her: ”I need to find a way to do this with you and the rest of the crew who did The Farewell. I want my creative team onboard, and I think this should be our next thing.”
Melia says that quite a few creatives from The Farewell ended up making the leap with them.
They include Melia herself,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Filmmaker Lulu Wang’s The Farewell had opened to acclaim at Sundance when Nicole Kidman got in touch and said, “I have this book that I optioned and you’re really the only director that I want to make this.”
Wang was stunned.
“I had just premiered The Farewell, which is a very small movie, and I wasn’t thinking that I wanted to go into television but that I really need to keep figuring out what my voice is,” Wang recalls.
She laughed. “But when Nicole Kidman comes to you and says, ‘I’ll let you do whatever you want with it, you’re the only director — take one episode, take them all — let’s just talk’ [you listen].”
Wang went away and read Janice Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel The Expatriates, which is about three women, primarily, with disparate experiences of living in Hong Kong, the the former British colony.
Wang was stunned.
“I had just premiered The Farewell, which is a very small movie, and I wasn’t thinking that I wanted to go into television but that I really need to keep figuring out what my voice is,” Wang recalls.
She laughed. “But when Nicole Kidman comes to you and says, ‘I’ll let you do whatever you want with it, you’re the only director — take one episode, take them all — let’s just talk’ [you listen].”
Wang went away and read Janice Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel The Expatriates, which is about three women, primarily, with disparate experiences of living in Hong Kong, the the former British colony.
- 9/8/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicole Kidman stars in ‘Expats’ limited series (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video)
Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo star in Prime Video’s upcoming limited series Expats, based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s bestselling novel The Expatriates. The streaming service just released the first batch of photos from the six-episode season, along with details on the plot and the cast list.
The first photos from the 2024 release include scenes with Oscar and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy. Additional photos feature Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Clarke, Jack Huston (Fargo) as David, Amelyn Pardenilla as Puri, Ruby Ruiz (Iska) as Essie, Will Or as Tony, and Bonde Sham (MidNight Lila) as Charly.
Lulu Wang created the limited series and writes, directs, and executive produces. Vera Miao (Two Sentence Horror Stories...
Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo star in Prime Video’s upcoming limited series Expats, based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s bestselling novel The Expatriates. The streaming service just released the first batch of photos from the six-episode season, along with details on the plot and the cast list.
The first photos from the 2024 release include scenes with Oscar and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy. Additional photos feature Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Clarke, Jack Huston (Fargo) as David, Amelyn Pardenilla as Puri, Ruby Ruiz (Iska) as Essie, Will Or as Tony, and Bonde Sham (MidNight Lila) as Charly.
Lulu Wang created the limited series and writes, directs, and executive produces. Vera Miao (Two Sentence Horror Stories...
- 9/6/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
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