losindiscretoscine
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
SnoopyStyle
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.
Herby Schwaggle
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 goodThe 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.
Quebec_Dragon
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.
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