Ben X: A Fase Final

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. ***

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 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

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!

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.