“Ba” (2024) is about a single parent father, Daniel (Lawrence Kao), trying to care for his daughter, Collette (Kai Cech), nicknamed Letty. Collette says “Ba,” which means father in several languages, including Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese, when she calls out to Daniel. When he thinks that he has hit rock bottom, he finds a bag of money with a cryptic note not realizing that he agreed to become a reaper. If he touches any living being, that being will die. So, he must figure out how to raise his daughter without unintentionally killing her or anyone else. Will he find a way for them to be together? Writer and director Benjamin Wong’s feature debut is a strong start with forgivable flaws.

There is not one bad performance in “Ba.” Kao manages to convey a tragic figure who acts foolishly without losing audience sympathy. He walks a tightrope that could easily fall into the pit of annoyance because of the predicaments that Daniel inadvertently puts his daughter in. Daniel’s palpable and visceral desperation not to kill anyone heightens the tension in every scene. There is the added complication that he looks like a skeleton to anyone, including his daughter, who is not a part of this supernatural world, which means that he scares her, and she does not realize that the monster is her dad, so he must stay covered up. Wong and Kao strain viewers’ good graces every time Daniel is unshrouded. Daniel was clearly one of those maskers who did not know how to wear a mask when it was required in the pandemic. By not showing more accidental deaths, the movie definitely pulled punches to maintain Daniel’s untarnished record.

Kid actors are either naturals or self-conscious wooden actors who sound like they are performing for the back of a grand theater but are in a shoebox. Fortunately, Cech is the prior, and she does not have a lot of dialogue, which means that she wordlessly shows movie watchers what her character is feeling. She shuffles through a wide array of conflicting, nuanced emotions, which includes child who knows that they are in trouble but tries to maintain a cheery façade, so her dad does not feel bad for failing her.

Daniel and Collette’s relationship is the foundation of “Ba.” Anyone going into this movie must root for them to be together. The chemistry between Kao and Cech is credible from beginning to end. Editors Alex Bushe and Selinda Zhou imbue home videos with a mixture of poignant and tragic notes instead of Wong writing clunky dialogue to provide backstories regarding how the parent and child ended up in desperate circumstances. Daniel convinces her that he has a skin condition, and she understands the rules of their new life, but is a child so she cannot obey those rules, which is one way that things get complicated. The plot will resonate with Gen Xers or former latchkey kids. It is rather difficult to watch the film because it feels too real, and though Daniel only has good intentions, Collette is in an inherently toxic and dangerous situation. Because she is a child, it kind of did not make sense that Daniel never tried to explain what was really happening to avoid misunderstanding, but because that was Daniel’s default modus operandi, to shield his daughter poorly, it felt authentic.

Wong is an inventive world builder, and casting directors Krisha Bullock and Jamie Snow nail putting the perfect character actors in supporting roles that lend to the credibility of the scenario. “Ba” takes place in a world of supernatural bureaucracy with rigid rules, which enhances enjoyment of the movie. Any time a new rule is introduced, there is this delicious, dreaded anticipation of seeing how it will play out. Casting Brian Thompson, former villain du jour, as the Token Man is a deft way to prose dump without feeling like a chore and adding another unanswered fixture to the world. How did the Token Man get the job?

Character actor Michael Paul Chan is the moral core at the center of “Ba.” He is a kindly shop keeper who gives Daniel work and does not seem to mind Daniel’s lack of a fixed schedule because he may be in it for the company. Wong missed an opportunity to further flesh out the father and daughter scene when he does not show any scenes between Sonny and Paris (Bri Banks), another person who works there and is like a daughter to Sonny. Sonny reinforces Daniel’s desire to stay in Collette’s life even as it becomes more challenging.

Wong needed to further develop the social worker, Macey (Shelli Boone). She is a good guy who functions as a villain. Movies like “Little Bites” (2024) fail at striking a balance between a person trying to protect children but also unintentionally putting families at risk. Movies like “Bring Her Back” (2025) swing big and manage to make the social worker sympathetic but still a bad guy. This film needed to flesh out Macey’s desire to do the right thing with her later apparent conflict of interest, a desire to have a child and skip the line. Macey is depicted as a complete innocent, which feels like a pulled punch. She has desires and judgment flaws that make her a three-dimensional figure so while she clearly cares for Collette, Macey’s role in disrupting and endangering her life is not given sufficient weight, which means that the end does not feel just. Collette is still in danger because this woman could keep making the same mistakes since she never learned from them.

Wong and cinematographers Mingjue Hu and Tom Campbell collaborate to create a moody, supernatural atmosphere that feels rooted in the real world. The night shots and cool hue of every shot were clear, lyrical and mournful whereas a lot of films with more resources can make those shots indiscernible messes that lose all texture. Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has overused purple to represent fantastic elements in a story, it still worked here because it was not the dominating the color.

“Ba” is a heartbreaking movie that is difficult to watch but not because it is poorly made. It is a tragedy about missed opportunities and sacrificing anything for the love of your child. While it is not a perfect movie because the story takes some shortcuts, it is the kind of movie that should make more people interested in Wong and Kao’s future work.

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”Ba” has some narrative flaws. Once Charles, the dog, dies, he can at least bring Collette to his cousin’s house until he clears his debt. Fine, let’s say that he does not want to risk his cousin’s life. Why does not Paris talk to Sonny (Michael Paul Chan) about the guy who robbed the place? It is a contrived precipitating event to get Collette to end up with Macey and get to have a bad guy, Macey’s husband (Jonathan Medina), die without feeling bad. I want to see the winnowing as much as anybody, but not at the price of Daniel behaving like an idiot. Also, I’m assuming that Collette ended up with Macey, but Macey’s face is not shown in the final scene, so it is possible that another person ended up as Collette’s guardian. It is a gut punching end that Daniel would choose to be a lost soul to be with his daughter, but damn, Collette better live a long life and yank her dad into her portal. Also, that is going to be awkward once she is older.