Perspective is everything. It shapes history. It determines sense of self. Quite often we sacrifice our own sense of this for what others dream of. Only the Good Survive, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, is a film that takes this concept into a very dark place and in doing so, challenges us to rethink our own identity and motivations. As the editor of this film, Mengyao Mia Zhang engages her own sense of perspective in a very powerful manner and establishes a riveting tone. Director Dutch Southern believed so strongly in Mia’s abilities that he often gave her free reign creatively. This is the filmmaking equivalent of offering your child to someone else to raise. Ms. Zhang concurs that this was the process stating, “Dutch would often say during our editing sessions ‘Whatever you think is best’ and ‘That’s up to you,’ which is quite uncommon. While he had a clear vision in the broader direction, he gave me a lot of freedom to play around with.” Certainly some of this belief is based on Mia’s enthusiasm for the story as she remarks, “Only the Good Survive has a very unique style, which was fun for me to work on because this kind of film doesn’t come along often. The first time I read the script, I was immediately captivated. The writing was exceptional and conveyed a distinct tone. I could almost see the film unfolding through the pages.” Only the Good Survive is a convoluted and bizarre thriller/horror with prominent dark comedy elements and moments, presented in a genre-blending punk-rock approach. To echo Mia’s statement, who wouldn’t’t be excited to see this manifested through the camera?

  It’s immediately apparent that the editing has a strong presence in this film. The first few seconds are a mix of surreal animation with action scenes and a police interrogation, sewn together as a means of transference of the emotional state of the main character. Brea Dunlee (Sidney Flanigan of Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Winner Never Rarely Sometimes Always) takes us along her journey during her “interview” by sheriff Cole Mack (Fred Weller of Oscar Award Winning Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman). It’s one that involves romance, robbery, and an self-defined air of moral highground from many different characters. That’s true whether in regards to Brea, a local cult leader (Jon Gries of Primetime Emmy Award Winning Series The White Lotus and cult classic Napoleon Dynamite), or Faye Dunlee (Lachlan Watson known for her work on the Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Nashville). When sheriff Cole asks Brea “Have you ever heard of Faye Dunlee?”, Mia makes a masterful edit with a subtle pause which delicately hints that something is amiss without drawing too much attention or suspicion on Cole’s part. The moment is delicate while marking a pivotal moment for astute audience members. Even greater evidence of Mia’s gentle yet commanding presence is felt in the final scene of this film. She describes, “I believe that the ending of a film is just as important as the opening, as it is what the audience will be left with. The ending scene of this film is morally contradictory. On one hand, Brea loves the baby and her late sister wholeheartedly. We root for her successful revenge and trust that she and Ry will be good parents to the baby but at the same time, to achieve this she chooses to sacrifice two innocent people who have no idea about her plan. This seemingly twisted moral standard harkens back to the film’s title ‘Only The Good Survive’. What is goodness? Are they the good ones? I wanted to bring out their human and vulnerable sides the most so that the audience could temporarily set aside moral judgments about her entire course of action and focus on this small family, feeling joy in their reunion and a sense of triumph in ridding themselves of the cult monsters.” Audiences at this film’s SXSW Film Festival premier concurred that this is extraordinary filmmaking. Full of real world danger but careful not to be preachy, Only the Good Survive makes you feel and think.

  Mia’s contributions to another morally nebulous story can be seen in filmmaker Michael Sarrow’s Smile As You Kill, winner of Best Feature Film at the Iowa Independent Film Festival. This crime thriller stars Rey Goyos (of Apple + Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Shrinking) as Rico Allende, a man willing to go to extremes to obtain proper medical treatment. A criticism of the present day healthcare system, Smile As You Kill combines realistic scenarios with a dark humor which seems to say, “This is what happens when business usurps medical treatment.” Mia communicates, In this film, one of the primary goals was to evoke empathy for Rico, allowing the audience to understand his motivations behind the kidnapping and to root for him in achieving his objectives. Simultaneously, it was important to make the audience like Terry’s character (Michael Teh of Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Criminal Minds), even though he displays some selfish and egotistical traits. I like the challenge of my work when it requires me to try and convince the audience to like a character when it would be so easy not to.”