The APAHM Project Days 2-7: Expats

Series: Expats

Created By: Lulu Wang

Release: 2024

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Wanna Skip? Pick a Movie from APAHM Project 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

Why It Made The List:

Lulu Wang became a household name thanks to her 2019 directorial-debut film The Farewell (which we covered during the inaugural APAHM Project). After The Farewell, she directed a short film "Nian". But it has been a while since Wang's name was in headlines again (if you exclude her marriage to fellow filmmaker Barry Jenkins). That is because from 2021 until it's premiere in 2024, Wang had been working on her miniseries "Expats." Based on the novel by Janice Y.K. Lee, "Expats" follows three expatriate women who deal with grief, expectation, and motherhood against the lively backdrop of Hong Kong. The show, in which Wang served as executive producer, writer, and director, stars Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue ("No Tomorrow," To All The Boys/"XO, Kitty"), and Ji-young Yu (K-Pop Demon Hunters) and co-stars Brian Tee, Ruby Ruiz, and Amelyn Pardenilla and received several praises and accolades.

My Thoughts:

With these mini series, it's hard for me to write and summarize what happens. But you can always log on to Wikipedia for that (they have episodic summaries, my favorite!). In short, this series focuses on 3 women who are expatriates living in Hong Kong. Margaret (Kidman) is an American white woman married to a Chinese man and has 3 children. Hilary (Blue) is an Indian-American woman who is married to David and is trying to conceive a baby. Mercy (Yu) is a young Korean-American who graduated from a prestigious college and moved to Hong Kong to put distance between her and her tiger mom. Margaret and Hilary live in the same apartment building and used to be close. However, a year prior, Margaret meets Mercy, who shows she is good with kids. Maragaret, in a fit of jealousy that her nanny, Essie, is closer to her children than she is, decides to invite Mercy to the night market to help with the kids. A distracted Mercy loses Gus, the youngest son. Police suspect that Gus was kidnapped. Now, Mercy must live with this guilt and Maragaret this grief. Meanwhile in the present day, Hilary and her husband try to conceive. However, Hilary had once agreed they wouldn't have kids. Davids is persistent and Hilary reveals she has been on birth control. Immediately after Mercy loses Gus, she and David (Hilary's husband) have an affair.

The show continues with the drama following these women. Margaret has a secret apartment. Once a landscape designer in New York, she followed her husband's job to Hong Kong, which she claims is typical. She exasperates that she "did" work before correcting that she "does" work. her old friends were CEOs and artists, but the women in Hong Kong are "simply" wives. She gave up her identity when she moved to Hong Kong, and assumed the sole role of mother. When Essie threatens this role, she starts to question herself. When your identity is only tied to another person, you can feel very lost. I used to introduce myself to people and then follow up with my profession. This is such a normal practice when meeting people, but people are so much more than their jobs. Sure, their job can provide insight to hobbies, passions, or talents, but that is not all they are. Just like I am not just Asian. I am not just a daughter. Having hobbies and passions can help identify you more than any job ever could. So when Margaret has no job and no role as a mother, she feels like she is no one ("I gave up everything that is mine"). She got the apartment because she says that everybody (her husband and kids) always want something from her, but never ask what she wants or needs. In her apartment, she is "not someone's wife or mother..." she is "not defined by tragedy." Her new identifier is the woman who lost her son, reminded of the tragedy every time someone asks for an update or gives condolences.

Hilary is an Indian-American expat living with her husband, David. She does not want children, but David changes his mind years into their marriage and does want children. Hilary patches up her relationship with Margaret, but since Margaret has 3 children of her own, it's hard for them to understand each other's decisions on motherhood. When Hilary's mother comes to visit, they are stuck in an elevator for hours where it is revealed that Hilary is estranged from her father because he used to beat her mother and had an affair and another family. Her mother has accepted this behavior as normal and pressures Hilary to have children. Hilary doesn't believe that children make a woman whole, a sentiment I strongly agree with. If you are healthy enough to have a child, it doesn't mean you have to have one. You are a full fledged human without a baby. I often think about how men are not expected to become fathers. Instead, they are expected to be providers, and therefore, I see a lot of men who want to be "dads" but not necessarily a parent or a partner to their spouse once the baby comes. Additionally, men have other modifiers to their name. Margaret's husband, for example, is always associated with his work or his faith. But it is Margaret who is known as a mother. Especially in Hong Kong where she isn't able to have her job. Hilary doesn't need a child to be happy or whole. After her husband leaves her and she finds out he got a woman pregnant, it shows how some men are simply looking to check off their to-do list rather than find the right partner to do life with.

Mercy is a 20-something year old working odd job to odd job in Hong Kong. After losing Gus, she lives with that guilt, but also begins an affair with David, Hilary's husband. Completely lost, Mercy adapts to those around her. She begins dating Charly, a local student who is an activist. Charly accuses Mercy of only going to protests because she is interested in her, not the cause. Mercy discovers she is pregnant with David's child. Her mother comes to visit from the US and discovers Mercy is with child and cares for her and makes sure she eats right. Mercy seemingly decides to keep the baby. After having a meal with Margaret and then Hilary, Mercy receives some closure and can finally move on. The baby Mercy has represents the new beginnngs all three women can have.

Lastly, I want to touch on the housekeepers, Puri and Essie. There is an entire episode that shows the ins and outs of the Filipino nanny/housekeeper community in Hong Kong. This might have been my favorite episode. Essie loves Margaret's children as her own, but once they decide to move back to the US, Essie is excited to move back to the Philippines and meet her grandson. She has accepted that Gus may never be found. Margaret insists Essie joins them in the US and helps her to get her visa.

Puri, Hilary's housekeeper, is a talented singer. After a heartfelt evening together, Hilary helps Puri with her makeup and lets her borrow a dress for a singing competition. Convinced they are friends, contrary to what the other housekeepers say, Puri tells Hilary who David has been sleeping with and the mother of his child. Hilary gets drunk and wakes up demanding Puri to make her breakfast. Puri misses her singing competition to take care of Hilary.

Both Puri and Essie put their boss's needs before their own and remain loyal to their families. When Margaret ultimately decides not to go back to the US, it is Essie who calms the children down and gets them on to the plane. Per Wikipedia, the novel did not expand on Essie and Puri. Wang's decision to include an entire episode centered around these women show not only a difference in social class, but also that although our three main women characters are experiencing grief, they are oblivious to the other women's grief as well. I always tell people just because you are stressed, doesn't mean I'm also not stressed. It's not a competition. We can both experience the same things and it feel big to us individually. Both Essie and Puri's grief weighs a toll on them the same way Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy's do.

In Conclusion:

Although the series is shot and executed beautifully, and the acting is superb, there are times when the writing in Expats feels disjointed. The pacing can also feel slow since the show is sometimes filmed more like a movie. But all in all, I think Wang and Expats shows the importance of community. These three women, and even their house keepers, all come from different backgrounds. But they are connected by the fact that Hong Kong is not their home. Each one is looking for something in this city. Sure, the trauma and downs and grief is overwhelming. It is easy to focus on these things. But every dark has a light. Margaret has renewed hope. Mercy finds purpose. Hilary gets closure. But all of them are released from the shackles of their trauma of how others see them. They forgive each other. And they forgive themselves.

Shout Out!

Today's shout out goes to Celine Kim! She is a Production Designer in Animation and was recently awarded the Annie Award for her work on K-Pop Demon Hunters! I have been following Celine for a while now, and her art is absolutely beautiful. Through her vision and keen eye, Kim has led multiple projects to their finished product. Check out her work here!

If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:

The Joy Luck Club

Columbus

Lion