By injecting Philippine dialects into English dialogue, and switching between the Philippines and the U.S., Nation takes a path familiar to other American immigrant dramas.

CNN: A WANDERING NATION

Malkovich strains so hard to deliver dialogue in imprecisely broken English, it's a wonder they didn't have to ice his tongue down after every scene.

CNN: Review: 'Rounders' has nothing up its sleeve

And I am very sorry that my Chinese is not as good as your English, but I am looking forward to this chance to have a dialogue.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Holds Town Hall with Chinese Youth

The opportunity to work with dialogue written by Stoppard, whom Hall calls the "greatest living dramatist in the English language, " was a major draw for the actor, as was her appreciation for Ford Madox Ford, who wrote the novel on which the miniseries is based.

WSJ: Rebecca Hall: Starlet for a New Age