3. Mahjong (In the Mood for Love)
Mahjong is a game reminiscent of gin, though instead of using a deck of 52 cards, 144 ceramic tiles are used to make sets of three or four, runs, and a lone pair in order to come out victorious. In Wong Kar-wai's poetic and heart-achingly romantic film In the Mood For Love, a young man and woman meet as neighbors. And while clearly attracted to each other, they cannot fulfill their relationship as they are both married. Unfortunately for the two, their respective unseen spouses are evidently having an affair with each other. So, our Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are relegated to the cuckolded life together. In one scene, Mrs. Chan is in Mr. Chow's apartment. Before she can sneak off to her own flat, a group of four stumble into the apartment complex to play Mahjong in the room just outside the hallway of Mr. Chow's home. Not wanting to give anyone the wrong ideas about their relationship, Mrs. Chan stays inside her companion's room until the game is over. Unfortunately for her, Mahjong lends itself to marathons of degenerate gaming with some sessions, including this one, lasting the entire night. As the game goes on, our two heroes are trapped in the room together the way they are trapped in their hollow marriages.