It may be the extensive familial dramas of A Brighter Summer Day (1991) and Yi Yi: A One and a Two (2000) that form the crux of Edward Yang’s enduring reputation as a leading light of the Taiwanese New Wave, but around such films, he created a number of smaller, and no less brilliant, films. Mahjong, his penultimate feature, tells the story of a ragtag group of low-level criminals and tourists in Taipei.

When a local businessman, in debt to the tune $100m to gangsters, disappears fearing for his life, two gang members start following his son. They hope the son will lead them to his father…not counting that the boy fancies himself a local mobster too!

What follows is a mix of farce, black comedy, and a shrewd look at hyper-modern, capitalist society standing at the brink of the 21st century, with the forces of globalisation, neoliberalism and technology colliding together.

The new 4K restoration was undertaken by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute with the support of Kaili Peng and Kailidoscope Pictures. With thanks to Janus.

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