Ben X (2007) User Reviews (48)

Great film, not too predictable

[FlorisV · 8/10 · 10 May 2008]

I was interested in this film as soon as I read about it because you don't see that often that the topic of games is incorporated in a serious film with relevant issues. I was interested in how they would blend in images of the game world and the real one. It turned out fine, the movie is beautifully shot.

From the beginning on, the film makes you believe it's going to end in a predictable way but it had a good surprise ending. Of note are the well thought out monologues of Ben X, using very little words to express what he feels (something he cannot do towards others).

The movie also kept it's integrity in showing how most autistic people would probably be towards girls: mostly invisible. Although Scarlite plays an important role in the film, she's mostly in Ben's mind. Ben is also not spared when the cruelties committed against him are revealed. There was definitely a statement in the film without handing out a clear solution.

On a side note: personally I think autistic people should be able go to special schools. They are in some ways very gifted and smart and should be cherished that way rather than treated as people with a problem that should constantly struggle to adapt.

Back to the film: all in all it delivered all you could want from director Nic Balthazar who I only knew as host of TV show Filmfan and I knew it would have integrity because he is clearly an honest and personable guy.

There's also a lot of nice extra's on the DVD including the game Archlord itself, overall a well thought out, complete film package!

interesting film about a modern phenomenon

[Jonnowood · 7/10 · 7 March 2008]

I watched this movie at the Festival in Montréal. I enjoyed it a lot. Some people really hated it. It's great to see a movie like this coming from Europe. The soundtrack was excellent and the acting by Greg Timmermans was superb. The Movie asks many important questions about our time and what it means to be caught in two "realities".

The director knows how to pull off an intense portrayal of a life between reality and fantasy. The visual effects were a bit unconvincing at times but I accepted that because the storyline kept me interested.

The movie won the big prize in Montréal, so I'll look out for this director in the future.

7 out of 10

Excellent Movie...

[MovieGuy01 · 8/10 · 15 October 2009]

I thought that Ben X was an excellent film to watch. Ben is very different. He has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, which makes him very different from other people. He plays his favourite online computer game Archlord all of the time, trying hard to train himself for the real world that he lives in. The hard world of a school is for him a daily kind of hell. As the horror of being a daily subject to bullying starts to get worse, Ben works out a plan. Then a girl called Scarlite comes into his life, the girl that he has met in his on-line game. I found this film to be an excellent movie, that includes a lot a senses of bullying, and violence towards Ben from the other children in his class. Recommended..

Ben X @ Montreal World Film Festival

[venom4003 · 10/10 · 27 August 2007]

This film goes very deeply into the problems that Children with the form of Autism know as Aspergers syndrome. The film uses glimpses of what seems to be a future interview with many of the characters to build a suspenseful atmosphere thru the whole film. The use of flashbacks thru out the film to explain Bens early childhood are extremely effective in conveying the listlessness that is felt by parents and children as they try and find out why their child is different. I will leave it to others to provide a plot summery but I will tell you something of the experience of the screening at the Montreal World Film Festival. Both the director Nic Balthazar and the actor who played Ben, Greg Timmermans addressed the crowd that night before the beginning of the film. Nic Balthazar spoke to the crowd in fluent French and English himself with no translator, leading to a booming applause as he talked of his joy at being at the festival and of working with Greg on his first film. Greg Timmermans then went ahead and spoke to us in passable French and English and talked of how nervous he was on that night. This is Greg Timmermans first film and he preformed beyond beautifully, bring subtlety to his role rarely seen by seasoned actors let alone a brand new face. This is not to diminish the other actors and actresses all of whom preformed extraordinary well. I hope that this film recedes world wide distribution for it is one of the most pointed comments I've ever seen or heard of on the treatment that children with these types of differences receive from classmates, teachers, and parents. Though I say this the teachers while sometimes seeming exasperated and at a loss for what to do, were never cruel, intentionally or otherwise. This film ranked as the best film that I was able to see in my short time at the festival. Lastly I would like to say that as the credits began to roll the audience roared forth with applause that did not cease completely for a full 3-5 minutes.

I left this film with my tears proudly displayed on my cheeks.

Good luck in competition to the cast and crew of BenX. May you see wide spread distribution and happy lives. You have touched my heart.

Speechless

[Unholyxxxx · 10/10 · 25 September 2008]

This is truly one of the most, if not the most, beautiful films I have ever seen. It just happened to be on TV and since it was an unknown title for me, the least I can say is that it totally surprised me.

Never in my life have I cared so much about a character in a movie, Greg Timmermans made me forget that I was watching one. Ben X made me angry at times, sometimes it made me smile, but many times it brought teares to my eyes. No that's not true, I'll admit it, I cried like a baby, and that's not something I do on a regular basis.

Although it's spoken in Dutch(luckily my own language), I still hope it will reach people through out the world, so that many can enjoy it, and learn the lesson that's been given here.

Everybody, if you can find it, watch it and it will move you.

An unusual offering, perhaps a cult film in the making???

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 21 January 2009]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

With the film adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time seemingly abandoned, it seemed that Rain Man was the closest I would get to seeing a film about someone with Asperger's Syndrome, the condition I've admitted to having. But out of nowhere, along comes this offering from the Netherlands (with characters speaking in what surely sounds like German!), which has gained some acclaim but seems unlikely to become anything more than a cult offering. It's essentially just your typical boy-getting-bullied-at-school drama, with a talking heads docu-drama feel thrown in along with some effectively unpleasant scenes of bullying (including forcing an ecstasy tablet down the victim's throat in the end to blot it out) as well as clever touches as using the boy's obsession with online video games to compliment fighting with his enemies in real life. It's a string of original touches strung together to make one film, and while it doesn't fit together perfectly as a film, it's certainly great that an effort like this is bringing the condition so upfront in people's faces. ***

it reaches perfection

[lora85 · 9/10 · 2 November 2007]

This movie really has it all: it touches the audience in a way that is never transparent but always smart and subtle. A beautiful story that leaves you breathless. It gives a clear image about how people really react to other persons who don't fit in, without trying to impress the audience with unrealistic dialogues. Especially the ending gives a very important message to all of us. I really think that the only goal of Nic Balthazar honestly was: to give that message, nothing less, nothing more. One of the best Belgian movies I have seen, although I'm afraid that through translation it will lose much of its charm, just because the lines are so perfect sometimes!

Superb acting, interesting story yet with an irk

[sebastian_goofy · 7/10 · 15 August 2008]

I saw this movie at an open air cinema this summer. Never having heard anything of it and having expected another movie I almost skipped it but was talked into giving it a shot. The story started off great, the acting was awesome from the beginning and got ever more convincing, the idea behind the movie is fascinating as well as the story itself is touching. Photography is solid with some nice shots.

-Spoiler below-

However, I was disappointed by the end- not because it was poorly done (it wasn't and it's even important for the over-all perception of the story), but it delivered the feel of a forced happy end - maybe it'd been better to simply stop the movie at a certain point, sacrificing the last bit of the story yet not giving this feeling that everything ended oh so well. I don't say this movie needs a non-happy ending, I only say I felt like it was forced happily. This movie should leave you thinking about yourself and how you deal with people, but this ending gives enough relief to go home and keep the thinking for later (never) without having you sleep badly.

Nice piece of work

[twee-5 · 10/10 · 25 September 2007]

I saw this movie yesterday at a movie theater in Leuven. Nic Balthazar came to this theater to answer some questions afterwards. This movie gets to you from the beginning till the end. Nic Balthazar created a jewel that will shine for long. He makes me longing for more. Very nice work! I'm not willing to tell something about the plot of the movie, because you can never catch the atmosphere this movie has. I am very glad that I speak Dutch, because I am afraid that a lot of the nice lyrics that are spoken in this movie can not be translated as brilliant as spoken... Although I don't think this will be a large problem, this movie has it all, action, romance... It does go straight to the heart. I still don't understand how a debut can be this close to perfection. It is "must see" for everyone!

Slightly disappointing

[Syberyan · 6/10 · 5 October 2007]

I went to this movie with big expectations, but came out 90 minutes later with a feeling of disappointment. Maybe it's because of all the media buzz around it, but I expected a much more engaging story and gripping performances. It's not a bad movie, and it has some strong moments. But overall it fails to impress.

Some elements in the movie didn't work as intended, and have a rushed and clumsy feel about them (thinking especially about Ben's imaginary-or-not girlfriend Scarlite). And Timmermans being 10 years too old for his role is really noticeable. Too bad because otherwise his performance is OK, but nothing really spectacular.

When the movie ends however you can certainly see where all the raving reviews come from; the ending is a real crowdpleaser, but in fact quite predictable. And it's not so well put together either.

From a technical point of view there's nothing to complain about. The intro is particularly interesting, based almost entirely on in-game shots from Archlord. It works really well and made me eager to see what was coming next. Too bad it goes at bit downhill from there on!

Finally, I film that made me say "WOW" at the end

[larry-411 · 10/10 · 27 January 2008]

I've been waiting, hoping to discover a film that would move me here at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and it finally came.

This is a jaw-dropping, heart-stopping work of true genius from director Nic Balthazar. "Ben X" is Belgium's Academy submission and has made the Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Language Picture. It won Most Popular Film, the Grand Prix des Ameriques, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Montreal Film Festival, and it's easy to see why. Not much can be said about "Ben X" without disclosing spoilers, however, so I'll just say that Ben is a high school boy who has trouble distinguishing between his real life and the characters in the video games he's addicted to. Difficult subjects are addressed during the film and should be taken into consideration when making the decision to see it.

One of my hopes in attending festivals is to find at least one film that will "wow" me, literally. It's that moment when the credits roll and I turn to my seatmates and say "wow" (and they to me) which makes all the traveling worth it. It doesn't happen too often. I saw over 200 films at over a dozen festivals in 2007 and don't remember it happening more than a few times. It hasn't happened at all in the last few I've attended. Well, it happened tonight. "Ben X" is without a doubt not only the best film I've seen here so far but one of the best I've seen in years.

Outstanding performances and cinematography but the treatment of disability stinks.

[falquizo · 5/10 · 26 February 2010]

Movies about characters with disabilities usually focus on how the personal deficiencies were overcome, with everyone, especially the audience, feeling good in the end. This is not that kind of movie. Ben, the central character, is an autistic high school student subjected to repeated excruciating torments by his classmates. Everyday in school he gets slapped and pushed around while he cowers helplessly. Later he is subjected to a most traumatic assault by two of the meaner classmates, one cruel asault shown in the internet as a crowd of students cheer and jeer. Ben's divorced parents and the school authorities seem as helpless as Ben. As this goes on without respite I felt that Director Balthazar, (who wrote and directed this from his own novel), enjoyed Ben's suffering as much as his sadistic classmates. Somewhere along the movie I became convinced that Balthazar is submitting his own entry into the Torture Film Genre (Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" ('97), Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ"). Ben's consolation is playing his sword-and-sandal superhero video game, Archlord. This is used to tease the audience that at a certain point Ben will emulate his hero and fight back. He can never get himself to do it however. The only thing in that video game fantasy that becomes his salvation is the appearance of a young woman, Scarlite, who gives him the courage to act on his solution -- to die. It is this act that Balthazar uses to end the movie supposedly to shame Ben's tormentors and all the school authorities, into remorse over everything done to Ben. This retaliation that Balthazar cooked up, that these young brutes and thugs, these indifferent, uncaring and indifferent adults, can supposedly be shamed, I find not only naive but phony, artistically inane and dishonest. After showing us throughout the movie a group of irreparably thuggish youths and indifferent uncaring adults, Balthazar wants us to think that these people can be shamed into remorse and reforming. Balthazar's whole point seems to be that the only refuge the emotionally and mentally handicap can find is in the fantasy of video games, that the real world will always be cruel, even to the point of turning video -- the only world he can escape to -- into yet another torment. Balthazar probably forgot that the film world is bursting to its seams with Christ metaphors and Christ themes have long been exhausted, and any new attempt is artificial and shallow. Timmermans' performance, even if he looks older to be a high school student, is highly commendable. Ben's absorbing fear of the world outside his room and his video screen is perfectly encapsulated in the way he coils unto himself, the way he walks as though anticipating to fall or sink as he takes his next step, the contortions on his face as he walks through the gauntlet of students. The repeated shots from above when Ben gets out of his house looking like a creature coming out of a hole in the ground is a haunting image, implying his being not of this world. This is a well-photographed movie with a good script, very well acted by all, especially Timmermans and Verlinden, but the treatment of a disabled life really stinks.Tito Alquizola ##

Ben X --> Avant Premiere Metropolis Belgium

[Homersan · 9/10 · 21 September 2007]

Yesterday evening (20/09), I went to an avant premiere of Ben X. The cast (Greg Timmermans, Marijke Pinoy and Laura Verlinden) and director Nic Balthazar were also there and gave a short explanation about the movie and their experience making it.

I had multiple reasons to go see this film, First of all, I like the idea of using the gaming community (which is so common among us youngsters these days ) to illustrate ones need to escape the real world and enter their own. Secondly, I was curious about the performance of Greg Timmermans as Ben. I didn't know it was his first movie until he himself said it, moments before it began. And finally, the movie became very famous when winning at the World Filmfestival in Montreal.

Let me just say that this movie deserves every praise it got and will get. From beginning until end, you are moved by the world of Ben. His relation to his parents, "friends" , and the world itself.

He explains his feelings through his Gaming alter ego BenX in the game ArchLord, why he is who he is.

Everyone was touched, seeing this movie and we gave it a standing ovation during the credits.

So go see this movie if you can, it's definitely worth it and you won't be disappointed.

Greetings Rafke

P.S. : You don't have to be a "gamer" of just know a lot about gaming to understand this movie... everything is explained.

Pulls no punches

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 21 April 2008]

If you remember your high school experience, you may agree that there is a widespread distrust of not just anyone different but anyone perceived as being intelligent. In Belgian director Nic Balthazar's Ben X, Ben (Greg Timmermans) is not only highly intelligent but is different - very different. Ben has Asperger Syndrome, a form of Autism that causes social isolation, physical clumsiness, abnormal speech patterns, and limited areas of interest. With Ben, we see it in the way he goes through his morning rituals of washing and dressing, saying goodbye to his mother, and the tense way he walks to school, listening to his Walkman without expression as loud music booms in his ears.

We also see it in Ben's obsession with the video game Archlord which he plays every morning before going to school. Called "Frankenstein" and "the Martian" at school, in the computer game he is a powerful figure, everything he cannot be in the real world – hero and ruthless slayer of enemies. He also has a love interest, a virtual girlfriend named Scarlite (Laura Verlinden) who is his healer. Integrating scenes from the virtual world of online gaming into the main story, the film blurs the distinction between the internal world of Ben's mind and the reality he faces daily and, with Ben as the narrator, the effect can be fragmented, leaving doubt about what is real, and what is not, a situation that creates some confusion.

Ben X is also the story of the struggle of Ben's mother (Maijke Pinoy), a woman relentlessly devoted to her son without receiving any affection in return. She suffers when Ben goes to school and is fearful when he comes home. She knows that school for Ben is a harsh reality, one he never talks about. Although the film tells us that it is based on a true story and opens with an ominous warning that in video games and life "someone always has to die", we root for Ben and hope that he will discover a larger sense of self. However, when classmates, Bogaert (Titus de Voogd, Belgium's hottest young actor) and Desmedt (Maarten Claeyssens, two of the most obnoxious bullies ever seen on screen, pull his pants down in the front of the class while others stand around and watch or film it on their mobile devices, we fear the worst.

When this is posted on the internet for everyone in the school and in his family to see, Ben downloads a document entitled "101 Ways to Kill Yourself", creates a dagger in shop class, and enlists Scarlite in devising an end game that takes the film in an astonishingly new direction. Ben X is visually stunning and the first feature-film for Greg Timmermans who, though he looks too old for the role, conveys Ben's internal struggle with amazing authenticity. Based on the best-selling book Nothing Was All He Said that also became a play, the film pulls no punches in its depiction of the extent of bullying taking place in the school, with only passive concern from teachers and administrators. Balthazar has said that he hopes the film (which will soon get a U.S remake) will open discussions about bullying in a country where ten percent of teens admit that they have attempted suicide. That would be a most welcome end game.

I Cried Like a Baby

[yilmazonurcan-89008 · 6/10 · 13 June 2019]

This movie is so underrated! I felt all emotions in this movie. In 3 or 4 scene, I cried like a baby.

Brilliant

[fx_chick · 10/10 · 29 April 2008]

Instead of commenting on what has already been touched upon by others, I'll make my comment on one aspect of the film- I suffered from bullying as a child, and wanted to see this film for that reason alone. I was moved to tears and blown away. The film works on so many levels, and never insults the intelligence of the audience nor does it trivialize anything- Ben's relationships, the bullying, his autism, his dreamworld- it is so well crafted. Bully's have no idea of the true extent of their cruelty. I have read numerous articles about teens committing suicide because they couldn't take it any longer, and know what they went through. Somehow -I don't know how- I survived all that and can tell anyone who might find fault in this film that the depiction of what Ben suffers is not an exaggeration, not in any way. What I went through as a child and as a teen is nothing compared to what kids today have to contend with. When I was young I did not have to worry about kids carrying weapons or selling drugs in the schoolyard or gangs. Kids being bullied today have it far worse than I did, and it was unbearable for me way back then. Perhaps that might help to put bullying into perspective for some. I knew nothing of Autism going into the film but came out well informed, and I connected with Ben deeply. A must-see film.

A frustrating mix of the terrific and the manipulative.

[runamokprods · 26 September 2011]

A study of a tortured teen with Asperberger'™s syndrome, Ben is bullied and mistreated by his peers, and since his divorced parents are pretty clueless, he retreats into an on line role- playing fantasy game, where he has won the heart of a female player.

Greg Timmerman is is excellent in the lead, but also looks a little old for the role, which takes a little something away from the reality, and heartbreak of the film. Most of the supporting performances are very good as well.

The film captures the trauma of adolescence, honestly and brutally.

(possible mild semi-spoiler ahead!)

But the documentary like interviews are ultimately setting us up for a twist ending that is both weirdly satisfying and a huge cheat and let down at the same time. It feels good, but makes all the raw emotion of the film up to that point feel a bit copped out on.

None-the-less, there is some very inventive filmmaking here, and the film is rarely less than riveting. It just seems that, sadly, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

Decent flick whose flaws aren't in it's script/acting/dialogue but in it's lack of identity

[racinGSRstyle · 6/10 · 18 July 2009]

****************SPOILERS - READ ONLY AFTER VIEWING...OR, ON MY RECOMMENDATION, DECIDING NOT TO****************

This film is definitely an interesting one. Saying that I enjoyed it for the most part may perplex you based on my rating of 6/10.

First I will say that a good ending can save an otherwise mediocre film, but a bad ending usually hurts or even ruins a decent one. Sure, this film has a "good" ending in that nobody dies. I guess my gripe with this film (and by guess i mean i know what i think but want to seem indifferent to appeal to the most people...will the real joe lieberman please stand up) is that this film doesn't know what it wants to be, other than perhaps an eye-opener on Asperger's. It is part depression leads to fantasy worlds a la "the fall," part consequences of being bullied in high school, and part m. night shayamalan film.

Anyway, as is often the case the movie was decent but it had one fatal flaw, in this case the ending. In that respect, it was kinda like my last relationship...it ended with sex, but it would have been preferable if it had been CONSENSUAL.

I really regret throwing away that armoire...

****************SPOILERS - READ ONLY AFTER VIEWING...OR, ON MY RECOMMENDATION, DECIDING NOT TO****************

Must-see smart film about something that touched most of us

[Quebec_Dragon · 9/10 · 24 May 2009]

For me, it was probably the best movie I've seen about bullying and adapting to modern society when you don't fit the mold, when you're not particularly socially adept. It's not just about autism, everybody should see this, particularly those who have been ostracized in school for whatever reason, especially gaming geeks. Mostly because of the incredible performance by the lead actor (but also because of how well it was filmed), I totally felt and rooted for him. I quite enjoyed the gaming background of Ben although it didn't feel completely believable. No one with a gaming character would just stand there without fighting back. In my book, it's a must-see if you can find it.

9 out of 10.

Asperger's uber alles

[K-nightt · 6/10 · 13 August 2010]

I think that the concept of retreating into a fantasy life is not ego-alien to most people at some point, as it imbues one with special abilities and allows a much more rigid control over what happens in our lives. I'm guessing this may echo more true in the case of people who, for whatever reason, have less sophisticated social skills and feel threatened by the sometimes daunting task of adapting to this nihilistic postpostmodern world. Now the concept of creating a crystallization of this fantasy life in everyday situations is somewhat plausible, albeit not so much unless we delve into the world of psychosis. Ben seems to first imagine his virtual girlfriend as personified after he takes the pill the bullies feed to him (I'm assuming it was some sort of amphetamine), shifting the paradigm along the lines of substance-induced psychotic disorder, with lingering effects up until the end of the film (even though his mother dismisses the potential severity of the psychic process brewing - after all, psychosis is neurotoxic, so to speak). She is much more concerned with the overarching social adaptation in a sadistic world than achieving any real resolution to underlying causal issues. Technically, the film was visually appealing, the insertion of video game images rendered more palpable the idea of associative thinking that goes on in everyone's minds, you don't have to be on the autistic spectrum to fit into that mold. I didn't love the actor's performance, the build-up was reasonably OK, I didn't expect the twist, and yet it wasn't terribly fulfilling nor incredibly realistic that he wouldn't be vilified horrifically (more so) after staging such a farce. Anyway, the bottom line is that the story, in the end, is one of hopelessness, seen as how he was able to "win" the battle against his persecutors, and yet his ego defenses were so clearly feeble, and the external environment so threatening, that his only choice was to spiral into a psychotic world, so comforting and maladaptive that there may be no way out.

Marvellous

[olivierverhoeven · 10/10 · 6 January 2009]

I saw this movie today, and it was really great. Even if you don't speak Dutch you should see this movie. Brilliantly acted by Greg Timmermans. I was almost beginning to think he wasn't acting at all, but more being himself :-) because it's almost too good. Well, one little thing, I was able to predict the outcome of the movie before it was over, but then again, maybe not everyone will. Overall, great movie, everyone all over the world should see this one and maybe everyone should start to think a bit like Ben X. He might be and think weird,... but he IS right. I was really touched by this movie and by the way of Ben's thinking. I think it deserves 10/10!

interesting way to show Asperger

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 3 October 2015]

Ben is a quiet introvert who spends all his spare time in a virtual reality game. He is socially awkward with Asperger and tries to compensate with strategies from the games. He gets bullied at school with one particularly bad incident. While some pity him, his only true friend is another online gamer named Scarlite. They are to meet in real life but Ben lacks the courage to talk to her. Just as he's about to commit suicide, Scarlite pulls him from jumping in front of a train. They decide to go on a quest with help from their parents.

I really like the way the movie tries to bring Asperger point of view to the audience. The first half of the movie is great. It's a little unlikely that the online heroine turns out to look like Laura Verlinden but I'm willing to buy it for the movie. The quest is building up to something great but it turns into something silly. It's somewhat passive aggressive and the ending leaves me feeling emotionally cheated.

not really impressed

[djieses · 5/10 · 10 October 2007]

It's a good movie, I just expected so much much more because of all the media and stuff. I was not really impressed, there was some good acting involved, but indeed the character that plays Ben was too old to be Ben. And some things didn't feel right and didn't even fit in. But you should go and see for yourselves. I liked the idea though, a gamers world included in a movie, got us some beautiful images. You sure feel like you're about to start a game when you "enter" the movie. And Archlord has some great graphics, not the best, but it all looks very nice in this movie. Nothing like I've seen before in a movie! that caught my attention! So go on, and check it out.

Excellent representation of today's schools

[tha_kiwibird · 10/10 · 19 July 2009]

I have to admit I had my doubts about the content of this movie when I started watching. Especially since the DVD cover gave me the impression that a lot of the movie would be about online gaming. Thank God this wasn't true.

It has been a long time since I've seen a movie that's this good

The movie brings forth a quite realistic view of school youth and their cruelty. Secondly, it also represents the world of a bully victim quite vividly. I can say this first hand. To complete this masterpiece it adds a very interesting twist in the end.

Well worth watching. Captivating from the beginning to the end. In my personal opinion every school should show this to their classroom at some point.

Powerful and moving, a damn fine movie.

[chimera-4 · 9/10 · 12 August 2008]

I managed to catch this as part of the NZ film festival and was interested in seeing it for a couple of reasons. Firstly I was interested in the gaming angle and the whole "escape reality online" scenario. Secondly I recently discovered that the feeling that I was just "wrong" that I've had all my life is in fact Aspergers Syndrome. Ironically for an Aspie, Ben X moved me like no other movie I can think of, a couple of time I almost burst into tears. It does a great job of portraying the everyday logistical nightmare that is "pretending to be normal" as well being misunderstood by most people in general, and also illustrates well some of the mental and physical traits that are part of an Aspies make up. I could identify with so many things in this movie, the sensitivity to detail, the overwhelming nature of the outside world and even overlaying a video game engine onto everyday situations. I felt validated by the film makers acknowledgements and portrayals of the Aspie ways.

I also identified with some of the very dark places the story takes you as well. The story sometimes skips between being a celebration of the Aspie way and an illustration of the dangerous road travelled with naivete that can be the Aspies journey. As already mentioned the film sets up some very dark avenues, making you aware of the potentials without actually showing them all to you. These situations are all too often only narrowly missed by people with Aspergers.

The acting was very good as was the attention to detail, the main character was portrayed very well (the actors debut by all accounts)and the story has a satisfying and heart rending conclusion...

If you like your movies raw with the meat of human experience then you owe it to yourself to see Ben X....