Ben X

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..

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!

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!

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.

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!