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Ben X

Play trailer Poster for Ben X 2008 1h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
68% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
An autistic teenager (Greg Timmermans) dives deeper into the world of online gaming after cruel classmates humiliate him.
Ben X

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Thoughtful and provocative Dutch film concerned with autism, online gaming and bullying, though loses steam in the final act.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 08/23/2018
The journey is pretty bleak, rarely varies in tone and as for Ben, just as he struggles to relate to the world, how are we meant to relate to him? Go to Full Review
Brian Tallerico HollywoodChicago.com 03/26/2009
There is a lot to like about this daring drama but the final act pushes the suspension of disbelief to the extreme. Go to Full Review
Jeff Shannon Seattle Times 02/26/2009
2/4
In adapting his novel and subsequent stage play, first-time writer-director Nic Balthazar seems more intent on impressing World of Warcraft gamers than honestly exploring the inner life of the mildly autistic boy at the center of his story. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 01/31/2021
3.5/5
An audacious film that only falters when it tries to be a crowd pleaser. Go to Full Review
Pamela Jahn Electric Sheep 09/26/2017
The ambitious themes are treated with great sensitivity and imaginative power in a tale that is both touching and beguiling, pushing beyond the form and frame of conventional feature-length fiction. Go to Full Review
Andrew L. Urban Urban Cinefile 08/29/2009
From the opening moments, as the graphics of the Archlord online game intercut with the world of Dutch teenager Ben (Greg Timmermans), we know we're in for something special Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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02/13/2017 In his debut, Nic Balthazar skillfully mixes different social topics: addiction to video games, autism and also school bullying. Even though its scenes are sometimes excessive, Ben X is both a visual and a psychological punch. The video game universe provides Ben with a perfect shelter in which he finds the strength to continue living in real life. Also, this addiction will help him to do some discoveries and encounters. The many connections established between reality and the game are relevant. At the end, the film leads to wonder where the limits between reality and fiction are and it also shows that a video game can have both negative and positive consequences in the real world. Nic Balthazar cleverly mixes these two universes in order to get a hyperrealist and moving result that portrays a merciless world that constantly reject those who are different. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org See more 04/12/2016 cinegeek.de Ben X ist ein zeitweise fesselndes flämisches Drama über einen Teenager mit Asperger Syndrom. Seine täglichen Qualen und Erniedrigungen in der Schule, kann er niemandem mitteilen, auch nicht seinen Eltern. Er kann sie nur in einem Online Video Game verarbeiten. Wir erleben also zwei Ebenen; die der Realität und die des Spiels. Leider zerstört Regisseur Nic Balthazar damit fast seinen ganzen Film. Manchmal bricht mir Ben X fast das Herz, wenn die ganze Schulklasse Ben verspottet, der vergeblich versucht, sich zu wehren. In diesen Momenten ist Ben X aufrichtig und erschütternd - um dann wieder abzuschweifen. Immer, wenn die Gedankenwelt von Ben simuliert wird im Video Game, unterwandert der Film seine besten Szenen mit offensichtlichen Manierismen. Schliesslich gibt er auch seine Qualität, tief und intensiv zu erzählen, Preis, indem er verzweifelt versucht, ein gutes Ende anzubieten. So viele gute Ansätze, im Handstreich erschlagen! See more 07/29/2015 Firstly, this should be mandatory viewing in all schools, not to understand cinema but to understand bullying. Few minutes into this and you will start to suffer, then you feel helpless, and then you start withdrawing yourself just like the protagonist. It is an unusual movie with constant inter-cuts between reality and gaming with a much unexpected ending which wasn't easy to accept but makes you feel better! See more 07/27/2015 A very well done film about a bullied teen with Aspberger's syndrome. Excellent realistic psychological drama. Fine story values with some nice plot twists at the end. Excellent acting, especially by the actors who play the kid, his mother, and the two bullies. Highly recommended. See more 11/07/2014 One of the only movies who almost made me shed a tear. Truly brillant actors. What an end See more 05/19/2014 excellent visual effect, self thinking in real world into game world expression is very praiseworthy. See more Read all reviews
Ben X

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Movie Info

Synopsis An autistic teenager (Greg Timmermans) dives deeper into the world of online gaming after cruel classmates humiliate him.
Director
Nic Balthazar
Producer
Burny Bos
Screenwriter
Nic Balthazar
Production Co
MMG Film & TV Production
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Dutch
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 24, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 25, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.9K
Runtime
1h 33m