Director Watch Podcast Ep. 176: 'Mahjong' (Edward Yang, 1996)

On episode 176 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the next film in their Edward Yang series, Mahjong (1996). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this Awards Watch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. In his second modern satire of the mid 1990s, Edward Yang looked inward again at the youth of his homeland, mirroring the violent, aimless nature of young men much like his masterpiece A Brighter Summer Day. Instead of being located in a small city, he sets Mahjong in the heart of a downtown Taipei, where every interaction comes with a dollar and personal price to it that can't be quantified, resulting in a riveting drama about a group of young men, and the women they know, trying to make enough money to escape the world they live in and the fate destined for them if they continue down their dangerous paths. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, how Yang is an observer more than a commenter about his world and the characters that live in it, the power dynamics at play involving the young men in the film and those who are old than them, the outside, western cultured forces at play in the film, as well as the guys pitching some cool business ideas, and a few fun stories from their time at Telluride. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back later next week to conclude their series on the films of Edward Yang with a review of his final film, Yi Yi. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).