Ba

Wong seems to be living in the same world as his viewers, one with stratospheric rents and forced rash measures. But he filters it through a dark prism of his secret reaper realm, with all of these cool rules and consequences that you cannot wait to see in action. Wong has the sickest schemes lighting the paths of the reapers, with everything radiating an oozing green until the sharp violets show up. The special FX are top shelf, with the digital skull faces being genuinely skin-crawling. The soft touches of Kao standing near a reflection of a skull send a pleasant hum through the air.

“…Ba is a triumph straight out of the gate …”

But the captivation is the real kick here. You will be sucked in lickety-split down the popcorn butter rapids that only flow through really good movies. The developments come quick, ranging from the gleefully unexpected to anticipatory welcome. But there are also many nuanced details that ring true, like the secret bird whistle the father and daughter use when words don’t work. There is much emotional impact that is dredged up, particularly when everything seems to be sliding off the edge. Wong also delivers a good deal of action and horror. And it’s funny. Have you picked up yet that this is a really remarkable picture?

The performances from the two leads are stand-out noteworthy. Cech is a budding powerhouse with a long career ahead of her if she so chooses. She already shows the depth and range that easily match the skill of child acting found in the Oscar winning Paper Moon. The emotions she presents are sharp enough to cut you to the bone. Kao is a marvel. He reflects a focused vulnerability despite the fact that he can kill f*****s with his bare hands. He can be funny, but it is when he is so damn serious that lightning dances. Ba is the kind of triumph straight out of the gate that we saw with Aronofsky and Nolan. One can see many more great movies coming from Wong’s direction.