-Written by Kyle Bain.
2024 SCREAMFEST REVIEW!
When a down-on-his-luck father, Daniel (Lawrence Kao), is tricked into becoming Death, his life is turned upside down–even worse than before. Now concerned about rekindling his relationship with his young daughter, Daniel is forced to take the lives of others in order to get his own life back on track.
I don’t think we need the opening scene. I’m conflicted with how Ba opens, but I think I’ve ultimately settled on the fact that the first thirty seconds or so are unnecessary. The opening scene ultimately requires a brief jump back in time, but then it jumps right back to where we started. It’s not like the story is necessarily being framed by specific events, because it jumps back almost immediately. In short, the opening to Ba, at least the first fifteen minutes, are fractured and they need to be reorganized in order to get the most out of the film’s first act.
Otherwise, I think that Ba is a wonderfully constructed film that hits a series of emotional notes throughout, while telling an original story. I found the story compelling, because it was an interesting and unique way to express a story about the love between a father and daughter. They are trapped within the circumstances of their life together; down on their luck, struggling to find a place to live, and short on cash. We’ve all heard the stories of a parent willing to do anything to support their children, but to become Death, to become the thing that takes people from this world–it’s extreme, but it wonderfully represents this idea. Ba is immersive in a series of ways, but at the core of the film, there is something so wonderfully human that easily resonates with viewers. This is the most powerful aspect of the film.
While the narrative is most important to Ba, the special/practical effects/makeup is what appealed to me the most. Daniel’s transformation from human to Death occurs often, and his aesthetic as Death is terrifying, truly incredible. Creating something so terrifying, something that looks so incredibly real allows viewers to become further immersed in the film, to better understand and appreciate the film as a whole, but more importantly, the relationship between Daniel and his daughter Collette (Kai Cech). It helps to express why she’s terrified throughout the course of the film, why there’s such a disconnect between them during certain moments, and we are drawn closer to their relationship as a result.
Other than that aforementioned opening scene, Ba is paced almost perfectly. We are given enough time to become connected to each of the characters, to understand their bond, and their plights. Ba tells an incredibly human story, one that’s easy to appreciate, but it uses horror as a vehicle to do so. Writer-Director Benjamin Wong does an impeccable job of bringing Ba to life through the character development, the special and practical effects, and the pacing. Everything works to create something memorable and interestingly terrifying.
Written & Directed by Benjamin Wong.
Starring Lawrence Kao, Kai Cech, Michael Paul Chen, Brian Thompson, Shelli Boone, Jonathan Medina, etc.
8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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