In Mahjong, Taipei is not only a rapidly emerging city where young people are wasting their youth; it is also a playground which multinational interest groups wish to reap their shares. By following four young men trying to survive in this urban jungle, Yang has created a modern young Taipei version of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, mocking our contemporary world where there is an overflow of information, but not necessary knowing what our real desires are. It is also about after the crumbling of past generation’s values (or rather their inability to be a role model); the young souls are thrust into adulthood in a chaotic world striving for redemption. Besides his usual critical eye, Yang has added a dose of compassion; the last kiss between Taiwanese boy (Ko Yue-Lin) and the French girl (Virginie Ledoyen) is a rare moment of romance. (WEN Tien-Hsiang)