Ben (Greg Timmermans) suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. His parents have placed him in normal schools hoping that he can lead a somewhat normal life. Instead, Ben is relentlessly bullied. The intervention of teachers only exasperbates his problems. Ben has withdrawn into his own world, where even his mother (Marijke Pinoy) seems a distant voice.
Ben finds refuge in a video game, where he has ascended to Level 80. "A level that is respected in the world." He has accomplished this with the assistance of another player who is a healer. The other player, Scarlite (Laura Verlinden), becomes incorporated into his fantasy world, helping him to devise a method to overcome his tormentors. Ben uses his video game as a coping reference. It helps him frame his own world in terms he can relate to. It is from this perspective that he devises his plan for revenge.
While this film could have been about Asperger's Syndrome, it was more about bullying. The disease created the circumstances for the story, but lingers in the background. The bullying becomes apparent early on. As viewers, we watch the social dynamics in the school and realize that there is a lot of truth in the situations described in this film. There are kids that bully, kids that egg the bullies on, kids that silently oppose the bullies, and kids that take action. There are teachers that mean well but don't do enough, or can't do enough to intervene. There are the repercussions of intervention. There are parents who are kept in the dark about the extent of the bullying. Within the context of the Asperger's, these elements become even more frustrating to watch.
The film is shot similar to a documentary or investigative journalism piece. The story is introduced through interviews with people, indicating that a very serious incident has occurred. Ben's mother states "someone had to die, first." We don't know exactly what that means, but Ben begins demonstrating suicidal thoughts as well as violent thoughts toward his tormentors. We don't know which direction he went, but watch as the events prompting the story unfold. The film is a bit difficult to watch at times because the pacing seems slow. The camera attempts to capture some of Ben's perspective which extreme close-ups and oddly washed out scenes. It is effective but distracting.
I don't recall having met anyone with Asperger's Syndrome to make a valid judgment on Timmerman's performance, but it was convincing nonetheless. Timmerman aggravated me with his inability to communicate, conveying the very tension that seems to be associated with this affliction. His performance was excellent. The rest of the cast was okay, but none of the actors stood out for me. I would have liked to have seen a little bit more interaction between Ben and his younger brother, but the story seemed to convey that there wasn't much.
The version of Ben X I watched was not rated. The MPAA would probably give it an R, while I might go with a PG-13. The film had male nudity, which was associated with the bullying. The concept of the bullying was often disturbing. The film had coarse language, forced drug use, heavy discussion of suicide, and mild violence. The video game includes graphic violence. This film should not be too much for a teenage audience to handle. This film has a run time of one hour, 33 minutes.
Ben X is an intriguing examination of bullying. The film takes an interesting perspective, telling the story as a journalistic endeavor "after the fact." Keeping the audience in the dark regarding what that fact is creates a nice twist at the end. The story suffers from sluggish pacing, but delivers a rewarding payoff. The characters are interesting and Timmerman's performance excellent. Ben X is a 2007 film from Belgium that I would highly recommend with 7.5/10.
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