How Editor Emily Zhai brought Sincerity to Taipei Suicide Story

We can likely come to a universal agreement that immersing yourself in the stories of people considering and/or committing suicide is not a pleasant way to spend day after day. Editor Emily Zhai (known for her work on Summer Knight which recently won Best Film in the Asian Future section at the Tokyo International Film Festival) contends that her work for the short film Taipei Suicide Story may not have been a lighthearted duty but it was one she felt strongly about. Zhai contends, “I felt a great responsibility not only to my collaborators but also because my involvement in this film was a way to tell this story for those whom are depressed. My career goal is to edit films which tell stories of diverse groups and help people understand each other better. I think this film can give strength to those who have lost hope for the world, and tell them that they are not alone. For those who can’t imagine being in this state of mind and emotion or have no such experience, this film can help them better understand those who do.” What this statement communicates so strongly is that film is much more than a means of entertainment; in the hands of a talented and empathetic professional like Emily Zhai, film can be a conduit for compassion and understanding among different peoples throughout the world.
Perspective may be the most intriguing facet of filmmaking. While there are a limited number of new stories still to be communicated, the way that we absorb the experiences of characters in a film can be dramatically diverse depending on the tone and personal angle in which they are presented. While the vast majority of the cast and crew of a production are the essential ingredients, it is the director and the editor whom are most certainly the chefs in this metaphor. In the hands of a different editor, Taipei Suicide Story might have been a maudlin tale of those who’d lost their desire to continue on the planet, but Emily Zhai placed the focus on a relationship between suicide perpetrator and suicide facilitator; not at all typical. Director Kevin Wang is not a native Chinese speaker and he wanted the editor to bring a pacing and natural Chinese film cadence to the story. Zhai’s skillful hand brought a mood which placed the characters in an intuitive rhythm which clearly proclaimed this to be a Chinese film but also one with a unique journey to impart. Taipei Suicide Story is a boy meets girl tale; it’s just that the boy [Zhihao] works at a suicide hotel where the girl [Junting] plans to kill herself. As a friendship blossoms between these two, the almost surreal lines of personal and professional conduct begin to dissipate.
Most of the scenes in this film take place between two characters, whether this is Junting and Zhihao or others. Due to the intense emotional discussion in almost all of these scenes, Zhai was hyper aware of the cuts between characters and how their reactions reflected back on the other characters. She informs, “The goal was to pick the best expression & reactions while keeping a good pace. An editor has the ability to make adjustments to the performances of actors for the betterment of the story. I might use shot comp combined with speed change to adjust a performance. I might make some acting adjustment using rough vfx comp, like removing blinks of something similar. In one of the most important scenes of this film, the challenge was to show the strong emotion Zhihao felt at that particular moment, while not making it cheesy like a soap opera. Zhihao only knew Junting for a day and it was friendship (not romance) and a sense of fellowship between them. If I pushed the emotion too much one way, it might turn into another direction. It’s sometimes the subtlest of edits that can completely alter the story. I take my responsibility for this very seriously. One of the best parts of working on this film was working with a director like Kevin Wang who is less concerned about awards and festival accolades than he is about saying something truly meaningful.” As with the emotional intensity of Taipei Suicide Story, there’s no question that Emily Zhai had a profound effect on the emotional impact of this unique and contemplative film. Her upcoming work on two docu-series (Kintsugi Pt. 2, Wabi Sabi) and two Feature Films (Pink, Cold Day In Hell) will similarly offer diverse stories to benefit from Zhai’s editing expertise.