Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Expats.
The Big Picture
Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Margaret in
Expats
showcases her immense talent for conveying anguish and despair through powerful microexpressions.
The series explores the emotional turmoil Margaret faces after her son’s disappearance, leading to strained relationships and a constant search for closure.
Through close-ups and nuanced acting, Kidman captivates viewers with Margaret’s intense dedication to finding her son, making
Expats
a must-watch on Prime Video.
It is no secret that Nicole Kidman can deliver an epic performance regardless of the medium. Although Eyes Wide Shut and The Hours are some of her most acclaimed big-screen contributions (the latter even led her to win an Oscar), she has continued to play equally intricate and complex characters on TV. Ever since Big Little Lies saw Kidman playing a lawyer in an abusive relationship with her husband, it’s been hard not to compare other TV projects to that devastating portrayal — that is, until Expats came into the picture. The new Prime Video miniseries allows the actress to exceed expectations and tap into one of her most challenging roles yet. Kidman plays Margaret, a mother filled with distress ever since her youngest son, Gus, went missing in Hong Kong. As the character roams around the populous city, she not only holds onto the last strand of hope for reuniting with her child but has also been unable to move on with her life since the incident.
Expats
A look at the personal and professional lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates living in Hong Kong.
Release Date January 26, 2024
Creator Lulu Wang
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 1
Nicole Kidman Lives Out Every Mother’s Worst Nightmare in ‘Expats’
Through a few flashbacks here and there, viewers find out that Margaret is a mother of three who is always trying her best to put her children first. Despite the occasional instances when Gus decides to run into the babysitter’s arms instead of spending time with his mom, she seems to have a happy family life. This peace and tranquility crashes down when Margaret decides to invite Mercy (played by Ji-Young Yoo) to join her and her children on a visit to the Hong Kong night market.
When the protagonist decides to leave two of her kids with Mercy for a few minutes, she never would have imagined that one of them would disappear into the crowd. Kidman goes from playing a calm, sometimes exhausted mother to a desperate and emotionally distraught woman. The sudden shift allows viewers to see how lost the character feels when she finds out that her child is missing, and how this news shakes up her everyday life from then on.
Given her character’s mental state following the incident, Kidman has to fully embody Margaret’s constant pain and desire to find answers. In the first episode, she goes through a roller coaster of emotions, from keeping her composure at her husband Clarke’s (Brian Tee) staff party to fully breaking down when she spots Mercy at the event. Later in the same episode, Margaret and her friend Hilary (Sarayu Blue) go to a noodle shop and dance to “Heart of Glass” for a few seconds, only for the main character to stop and regress to her previous state of misery. Margaret feels like she doesn’t deserve to be happy again or go back to her normal family life when Gus is still out there waiting to be found. She immediately stops enjoying the moment with her friend after looking at her reflection in the window, which overbears her with guilt.
In ‘Expats,’ Margaret’s Anguish Affects Her Relationships With Everyone
Margaret isn’t just forever changed by her son’s disappearance emotionally, but also in terms of the relationships she had built up to that moment. With one family member missing, she can’t connect with her two other children or her husband. Clarke and Margaret carry this burden in different ways, with him resorting to religion while she prefers to continue her quest for clues that could bring her closer to Gus. In an interview with Collider, Kidman gave more insight into the backstory behind Margaret’s motivation and why she resents her husband when she discovers that he’s attending church as a way to maintain hope:
“… it’s because she grew up in a family where she was sent to a Catholic school, and her family was not religious, but at the school, suddenly her sister became very religious. Margaret didn’t connect with it, but suddenly, she was having to go to mass at times and pretend. … And when she and Clarke married, they were both in agreement that they were not religious. Therefore, when she finds out that he’s been going to church and that’s where he’s looking for solace, it’s a betrayal of such a deep commitment that they made to each other.”
The couple’s struggle to carry on is ever present throughout the series, particularly in Episode 4 when they are called to visit the mainland to identify a body. Their conversation in the morgue is the only moment that they are transparent with each other about their inner conflicts. Kidman and Tee’s portrayal of two characters with different backgrounds and ways of dealing with their pain makes the viewer feel empathy for their struggles and root for them to find peace. Their display of various stages of grief adds nuance to the story, showing how an incident can lead to people who love and appreciate each other suddenly becoming out of touch.
‘Expats’ Finale Shows That Nicole Kidman’s Microexpressions Speak Louder Than Words
Image via Prime Video
In addition to Kidman’s ability to tap into distress and pain in Expats, she is also able to convey a lot of sentiment through her microexpressions. In the show’s finale, most scenes involving her character are captured through closeups, giving the actress the opportunity to connect with viewers on a deeper level. The episode starts with Margaret having a sit-down conversation with Mercy and Hillary intertwined, making it unclear who she is talking to after she utters each sentence. Compared to earlier on in the series, she is more relaxed here, and you can tell she wants to bring closure to these two unresolved relationships. Although Margaret hasn’t moved past Gus’ disappearance, she understands that she can’t attribute blame to Mercy for being the person with her child when the incident happened. The character’s ending sequence at the airport also relies heavily on Kidman’s microexpressions, since the camera zooms into her face as she tries to make up her mind about whether she should board the plane with her family. Once she makes her decision, her sense of resolve is clear as she finally gives into her urge to continue looking for her missing son.
Kidman’s performance in Expats is even better than her work in Big Little Lies because she can tap into the overwhelming burden and anguish that her character experiences after losing her child. Compared to Big Little Lies’ Celeste, who keeps her abusive relationship with her husband behind closed doors (at least up until Season 2), Margaret is consumed by this feeling that she can’t move on with her life until she finds her son. Kidman’s performance shows how Margaret’s life is forever changed by this incident and her relationships with others are strained because of it. Although the character does have a sense of closure towards the end of the series, as she makes amends with Hillary and Mercy, she continues to choose to dedicate her entire existence to finding her youngest son. The last episode, with its multiple close-ups, proves that Kidman’s strength relies on her ability to clue us into exactly what Margaret is thinking and feeling through expressions that are worth a thousand words.
Expats is available to stream on Prime Video.
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