From
Big Little Lies
to
Top of the Lake
via
The Undoing
and
Nine Perfect Strangers
,
Nicole Kidman
seems to be, on the small screen, subscribed to the roles of gurus and wealthy women disconnected from reality and suddenly confronted with the ugliness of the world.
At first glance,
Expats
, on Prime Video and based on the novel by Janice Y. K. Lee, seems to plow the same furrow.
To discover
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She portrays Margaret, an American who followed her husband to Hong Kong.
And put his career as an architect on hold to take care of their children.
But this role of “wife of” weighs on her.
It's nothing compared to the tsunami that awaits him when his youngest child disappears without a trace.
In less expert hands,
Expats
would become a simple thriller.
But, to lead this exploration of mourning, uprooting and the irruption of tragedy, the star of
Moulin Rouge
chose Lulu Wang.
Heroines stuck in limbo
In 2019, this Chinese-American director stood out with
The Farewell
, the first film with similar issues.
Between twilight and rebirth, Lulu Wang links to Margaret's destiny that of two compatriots present on the evening of the tragedy.
Next-door neighbor Hilary struggles to save a marriage undermined by infertility.
Korean-American, who has just graduated from Columbia, Mercy is looking for her path away from her parents, based in New York.
This kid will end up becoming the compass of this series, which
“weaves a tapestry of characters of opposing origins and backgrounds, forced to form a community on foreign soil,”
explains the director to Le
Figaro.
Before continuing:
“Everyone is trying to find a sense of belonging in a life that is shattered and forces them to redefine themselves.
How to deal with that second when life turns upside down?
How can we accept being as much a victim as an executioner?
Grief does not rhyme with catharsis.
It’s a more ambiguous feeling than fiction suggests, one that involves enduring rather than fighting.
Rather than taking refuge in the intensity of the drama,
Expats
evokes what comes after the storm: the limbo, the unbearable banality of everyday life.
And advocates compassion for self and others.
»
Also read: Nicole Kidman: “There is such a range of emotions in Big Little Lies”
A fan of the Canal+ series
Les Revenants
, the director keeps her plot moving.
Hence the misleading impression of a certain academicism and narrative indecision.
Nicole Kidman follows a tenuous and melodramatic score before recalling the visceral performer she knows she is in a stunning monologue in the middle of a death chamber...
“Bubble of privileges”
A nesting series on motherhood and sacrifice,
Expats
examines the former British colony and its social strata: the financial district, the wealthy high-rise neighborhoods, the commercial and popular Kowloon.
The plot takes place in 2014, in the middle of the student protest movement against Beijing.
“A tribute to the resilience of its inhabitants, some of whom had to leave
,” notes Lulu Wang.
Scenes were recreated in Los Angeles, to avoid Chinese obstacles and objections.
The penultimate episode explores the point of view of Filipino, Malaysian and Indonesian servants serving these rich Westerners.
A chapter which gives another dimension and authenticity to this series, by showing “
what this trio of heroines cannot perceive in their bubble of privilege”