‘BA’ (Screamfest 2024) A deal with the devil and desperation.

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BA - 2024 Screamfest Horror Film Festival - screamfest2024.eventive.orgYou’re damned if you do, and you’re damned if you don’t. In Benjamin Wong‘s Screamfest 2024 film BA, a father in dire straights makes a supernatural bargain with hideous consequences. On a mission to provide a better life for his young daughter, Daniel must reap souls until he settles his debt. His appearance is a decaying skeleton, names carved into his skin, and physical touch kills any living thing. But, if he breaks the otherwordly agreement, it could be deadly.

ba still 1Daniel’s challenges are plenty. Besides the Faustian bargain, he must keep his features hidden from his daughter. If she comes in contact with her, she will perish. He makes extra cash by working nights for a near-blind convenience store owner. He walks in the daylight draped in clothing to conceal his literal Death mask. With Collette missing school, Daniel must also dodge child services.

Ba still 2The FX makeup is sleek and scary, and the team matches Daniel’s reflection moments. Kai Cech delivers a lovely performance as Collette, giving her natural innocence and an appropriate fear of abandonment. Lawrence Kao gives a relatable turn, making impossible decisions that any parent would replicate in his position. It is a nuanced role, and Kao brings us along on his emotional rollercoaster with gentle hands.

The film is an intriguing mix of desperate times call for desperate measures, and a unique canon. There is enough meat on the bone to expand the film into a series. It’s not gruesome and nails the fantasy aspect. BA is a PG-13 graphic novel foray into the genre.

BA Trailer:

  • Director:
    Benjamin Wong
  • Screenwriter:
    Benjamin Wong
  • Producer:
    Elizabeth Ai
  • Cast:
    Lawrence Kao, Kai Cech, Brian Thompson, Michael Paul Chan, Shelli Boone, Jonathan Medina
  • Sound Design:
    Sung Rok Choi
  • Year:
    2024
  • Runtime:
    1:19:00
  • Language:
    English
  • Country:
    United States
  • Premiere:
    LA Premiere
  • Rating:
    Unrated
  • Genre:
    Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Supernatural, Thriller, Genre-Bending, Asian American, Magical Realism, Dark Fantasy

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About Liz Whittemore

Liz grew up in northern Connecticut and was memorizing movie dialogue from Shirley Temple to A Nightmare on Elm Street at a very early age. She will watch just about any film all the way through (no matter how bad) just to prove a point. A loyal New Englander, a lover of Hollywood, and true inhabitant of The Big Apple.

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