Ben X (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  This was a very cool movie, with a very unexpected ending...which always is a plus for me. I found it very interesting, and unusual..but in a good way.

• Jens S

  
  To be entirely honest, I was ready to give this film one star, because the tale of the Asperger syndrom kid that gets bullied so much he is considering suicide is really getting on your nerves at times. It's giving you the protagonist's thoughts somewhat unfiltered, and… More
  To be entirely honest, I was ready to give this film one star, because the tale of the Asperger syndrom kid that gets bullied so much he is considering suicide is really getting on your nerves at times. It's giving you the protagonist's thoughts somewhat unfiltered, and maybe they are accurate as far as that condition goes, but it's a bit much at times. Timmerman's performance isn't always very convincing either. The online gaming fantasy world his character is escaping to is also incorporated into his thoughts and the film, which is rather well done. Bits of interviews with some of the characters commenting on a yet unknown catastrophe interrupt the action, but at least give you a bit of tension about what said tragedy is. Sadly, the film is extremely undecided on what he wants to comment. The syndrome? The bullying, which is taking so much time of the film you sometimes feel like forwarding your tape because it's painful to watch? The suicidal thoughts? The hope in shape of his internet friend? I felt like stopping the film a few times, because it was just too much, and aimlessly so. What saved the film after all was the final twist, or two actually, and the fact that Sigur Ros had a song in it. Anyone intrigued by the basic premise can certainly have a look, but it's not the easiest movie to watch. At least you don't feel cheated of your time in the end.

• Luke B

  
  A well constructed film about a boy with autism that escapes into a popular RPG to escape harsh reality. The film's messages are obvious, but mostly handled with care. It does go a bit too dark and then a bit too light for my tastes. The first hour had me angered and intrigued,… More
  A well constructed film about a boy with autism that escapes into a popular RPG to escape harsh reality. The film's messages are obvious, but mostly handled with care. It does go a bit too dark and then a bit too light for my tastes. The first hour had me angered and intrigued, but the last 30 minutes are a bit too schmaltzy and light. It doesn't completely gloss over the difficult issues, but the film soon corners itself in a place where no ending would have been satisfactory. A distant but understandable performance from Timmermans makes this an easy watch, and the jumps between life and the computer world are simple and controlled.

• First L

  
  Like "Let The Right One In", "Ben X" is another foreign language film about bullies and escapism. Instead of a friendly vampire, Ben X's escape comes in the form of an online, multi-player fantasy game where he is a powerful warrior hero. In the game, he is… More
  Like "Let The Right One In", "Ben X" is another foreign language film about bullies and escapism. Instead of a friendly vampire, Ben X's escape comes in the form of an online, multi-player fantasy game where he is a powerful warrior hero. In the game, he is befriended by a beautiful warrior princess who, somewhere out in cyberspace, has a real life female counterpart. But as great and powerful as he is in the video game world, he is the exact opposite in real life. He suffers from asperger's syndrome, a milder form of autism, and is picked on mercilessly by a couple of bullies (they call him the "mars boy", or martian boy). Because he is so helplessly socially ackward, there's a wall that separates him from the other teens in his school. He only sees the details, the bigger picture of life doesn't register. One day it comes to a head when the bullies put him up onto a desk and de-pants him as other kids in the class capture the video on their cell phones. To his horror, he gets home to find the video is circulating on the internet and being seen by thousands of people. Seeing life through the eyes of his video game character, he begins to think about revenge, and as his mother says, it seems like it won't end until someone dies. Ben X mixes a documentary-style feeling with video game graphics (a menu will sprout up when he's confronted with a choice in his daily life), but it's not the style so much as the substance that draws you in. The message that "bullying is bad" might be simplistic, but it deals openly and honestly with real emotions. It's like an intense, open wound being exposed right in the center of childhood. It's a mighty powerful film.

• Gordon A

  
  Minor dutch 'issue' drama on autism and its social impact. The bullying is portrayed with suitable zeal and the lead's distorted grip on reality lends itself well to the computer game context. The twist is obvious and a little unnecessary but overall it makes a worthy… More
  Minor dutch 'issue' drama on autism and its social impact. The bullying is portrayed with suitable zeal and the lead's distorted grip on reality lends itself well to the computer game context. The twist is obvious and a little unnecessary but overall it makes a worthy effort.

• Emile T

  
  Impressively good, I really liked it.

• Michael M

  
  Making a film about a person who is challenged in some way, be it mentally or physically, is always a tricky task. Good intentions of trying to raise awareness can sometimes come off as arrogance, self-righteousness, or simply a complete lack of understanding towards the subject. It… More
  Making a film about a person who is challenged in some way, be it mentally or physically, is always a tricky task. Good intentions of trying to raise awareness can sometimes come off as arrogance, self-righteousness, or simply a complete lack of understanding towards the subject. It doesn't help that the world at large tends to view people like this as handicapped (a term I loathe), and requiring of pity. As someone with Aspergers syndrome, this subject hits particularly close to home. When I hear people offer pity for the condition, or "hope for a cure," it comes off as unfathomably offensive. Understanding however is something that I welcome, and sometimes I will refer them to a film that shows what it's like to be an aspie (particularly since film is one of my "obsessive interests," a symptom of Aspergers). Of the films I've seen that deal with the condition, this one comes the closest to what it's like. Perhaps I should address what Aspergers is for those who don't know. It's a form of high-functioning autism that, among other things, is characterized by obsessive interests, difficulty with expected social skills, and what some refer to as "sensory overload." Our lead for Ben X is a teenager with Aspergers. Ben has a stronger form of Aspergers, and is clearly not medicated. That's not information given in the film mind you, that's my own personal analysis of him as a character. I guess that's a good testament to the performance by newcomer Greg Timmermans that I was able to make that diagnosis in the 90 minute runtime, but it does also strike me as odd how whenever we see someone with any sort of mental condition in cinema, it's always to the extreme. Seems a bit unfair, and people with milder cases are far more common, but I guess that's where the market value lies. The symptoms here may be presented in a more extreme manner, but they sure as hell are accurate. The film tries to make you see the world through Ben's eyes, and I think it succeeds. When he's uncomfortable, you're uncomfortable, and there are times when this movie is downright painful to watch. The film also makes clever use of editing to show the aspie way of viewing the world. When Ben's mom tells him "look at me!" he looks at her, but never makes eye contact, and instead through close-up shots we see his point of view noticing each strand of hair, each wrinkle, drops of sweat, noticing each individual detail of the face but not the face as a whole. Additionally Ben almost never talks throughout the course of the film, but his voice is still heard through an internal monologue that pervades throughout. Ben is also an avid player of the online video game Archlord. This is more than merely a representation of his obsessive interest (or a cheap marketing gimmick from the creators of Archlord, which is a real game) it's actual integral to the narrative and style of the film. Throughout the film there will be quick cuts to clips from the game, relating what is happening in real life to something in the game. For example, if two bullies are assaulting Ben, there will be a cut showing his in-game character being attacked by orcs. Visually it's very intriguing, and it's also an interesting way of showing how someone with Aspergers will apply their interests to real life. There are a lot of parts to this movie I'm very mixed on, and I still haven't come to my final conclusion of it. At times it feels like it's a pity piece, but then in the final act Ben takes matters into his own hands regarding his abusers in a manner that's actually empowering. However that is only confirmed by a twist that happens in the last 10 seconds of the movie, a twist that to me came off as confused and offensive. It also some times felt a bit too extreme, but at the same time that extremeness helped capture the feeling of helplessness as well as provide a distinct look and feel. The film flies by like a rollercoaster, and in the 90-minute runtime it's virtually impossible to get bored. Still, I'm not really sure I liked it, and there's a big part of me that actually hated it. At the same time, it's a visually fascinating filled with some creative editing and directing, and for the most part it really does manage to give a point-of-view look at the life of someone with Aspergers. It has its faults, and it can be very unpleasant, but I think it's an important film that's worth checking out. Highlights Directed by: Nic Balthazar Screenplay by: Nic Balthazar, adapted from his novel Starring: Greg Timmermans, Laura Verlinden, Marijke Pinoy Pros: A creative and gritty directing style, a usally effective look through the eyes of someone with Aspergers Cons: Some parts go overboard in style or presentation of the material Rated: Not Rated, contains mild language, brief moments of partial male nudity, and intense scenes of bullying Should You See it?: Yes, but don't let it be your only source of knowledge on Aspergers

• Mark A

  
  Brilliant look at a young man with Asberger's Syndrome who is tormented at school by a couple of bullies and ridiculed by his classmates. Ben, brilliantly played by Greg Timmermans, is a gifted gamer who cannot speak and can barely function in society. He attracts the attention… More
  Brilliant look at a young man with Asberger's Syndrome who is tormented at school by a couple of bullies and ridiculed by his classmates. Ben, brilliantly played by Greg Timmermans, is a gifted gamer who cannot speak and can barely function in society. He attracts the attention of another, female, player and the two become hard and fast allies. The screenplay immerses the viewer in Ben's world and one frequently loses track of whether what we see on screen is reality or fantasy. The revenge that Ben finally plans and executes on his tormentors salvages an otherwise depressing, infuriating look at the depravity of man towards those who are different and makes this the award winning film that it is.

• Bill C

  
  Ben X cannot effectively read other persons emotions or naturally express his own emotion. He is trapped in his own head by version of Autism called Aspergers syndrome. As the movie portrays there are varying degrees of Asperger in people you meet every day. If you work in a technical… More
  Ben X cannot effectively read other persons emotions or naturally express his own emotion. He is trapped in his own head by version of Autism called Aspergers syndrome. As the movie portrays there are varying degrees of Asperger in people you meet every day. If you work in a technical field you run into more than your fair share. Greg Timmermas dos a very good interpretation of a person with Aspergers. Unlike most movies that drag with internal dialog this movie need more. The parts of the movie that follow Ben around tend to drag the energy of the movie down. Ben escapes his shell when he enters the gaming arena sitting at his own computer. He has a beautiful companion is a healer. She arranges a meeting in the real world at a train station. He follows her around and never introduces himself. If I went any further it would be a spoiler, but this is were the movie gets strange. Give it a watch.

• John M

  
  Captivating from the beginning to the unexpected twist ending. The acting was very good, as well as, the technicals apects. Sad and compelling story and very accurate. The movie brings forth a quite realistic view of school youth and their cruelty. Secondly, it also represents the… More
  Captivating from the beginning to the unexpected twist ending. The acting was very good, as well as, the technicals apects. Sad and compelling story and very accurate. 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. Worth watching!! USA remake is coming soon!!

Read all 10 featured audience ratings