THE MAO GAME New Directions

Set against the backdrop of the Hollywood fast lane, this unmistakably modern coming-of-age story opens with a card game. Played between Jordan’s mother and grandmother, the game is called Mao. Like the adult world in which Jordan is prematurely thrust, the rules are arbitrary and the stakes staggeringly high – whoever wins the game, wins custody of him. So begins the 18-year-old actor’s odyssey through the temptations of Hollywood and the emotional minefield of his family’s life. As the story unfolds, we discover secrets of Jordan’s past relationship with his father and his present tumultuous relationship with a narcissistic mother, immersed in her acting career. The only stable force in his life is his grandmother, a remarkable woman with whom Jordan shares everything from dances to drugs to his innermost confidences.

A triumphant directorial debut from an extraordinary young talent, THE MAO GAME sheds light on both the fragile vulnerability and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.