Close Encounter of Mahjong

Five people meet in a tiny Chinese apartment for an afternoon game of mahjong, a traditional Chinese tile game. But everyone has something to hide in this stylized black comedy.

Liu has several things on his mind when the group gathers at his apartment for the game, including what to do when his mistress unexpectedly shows up.

Yan, a deeply superstitious man, is trying to find a way to cheat the game. A compulsive gambler, he promised his wife this would be his last game of mahjong, so he needs to win big.

Cindy works at a school teaching foreigners how to play mahjong and brings them out to practice their skills. She’s playing with Frank, a Westerner who is funding her turn, but she hasn’t decided yet whether she is playing with Frank or against him.

Mo is a health products salesman with a cure for any ailment under the sun. All he wants to do is sell some products so he can make manager. As the game progresses, he begins to suspect just what it is that Liu is trying to hide.
—Sharon Kim

Close Encounter of Mahjong from Donald Li on Vimeo.

Preceded by:

Set in the near future, a woman working in an antique electronics shop helps a desperate young man trying to recover the mysterious data hidden on a CD.

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