Watch
Ben X
![Ben X](https://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/legacy/Ben-X.jpg?1322000075)
Ben X
2007
Drama
1h 33m
As an alternative to getting bullied at school, an autistic teenager (Timmermans) retreats into the world of online role-playing games. (imdb)
Directed by:
Written by:
Your probable score
?
Ben X
2007
Drama
1h 33m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 54.89% from 802 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(815)
Compact view
Compact view
Show
Sort
Rated 22 Oct 2008
62
29th
At start, it was looking promising with MMORPG theme but It was totally worse than I expected. An effort meant to be significant and touching but have failed completely from very first start to end of it.
Rated 22 Oct 2008
Rated 06 Sep 2008
70
60th
I must say that this film was a lot better than I expected it to be. Since at one point in my life I was playing an mmorpg game as well to escape reality and having gotten addicted to it for quite some time, I can say that the film portrays this merge between fantasy and reality very well. In particular I remember a scene where Ben envisions slaughtering his bullies with the weapons from his online character... The one thing I didn't like that much is the weird plot line towards the end.
Rated 06 Sep 2008
Rated 21 Mar 2009
40
25th
More of an awkward moral statement than a functioning drama.
Rated 21 Mar 2009
Rated 23 Dec 2008
91
99th
Debuting director Balthazar does an excellent job portraying an autistic kid who is bullied and looks fore a safe haven in the world of online gaming. I went to the cinema with quite low expectations (Belgian films...) but I was blown away completely.
Rated 23 Dec 2008
Rated 26 Aug 2008
60
28th
Biggest flaws: The plot twist is way over the top and hard to believe & the main character's idiotic rhymes during the voice-overs were a bit annoying from time to time. But I have to say it was very well made, it looked really good and there were a few great performances by the lead characters. Hoedje af!
Rated 26 Aug 2008
Rated 30 May 2009
5
20th
(2nd viewing) The film never follows a straight narrative path, but rather intoxicates the audience with its sappy study about autism. The performances are pretty campy (Verlinden is likeable though) and the cinematography together with its narration are indeed headache inducing. I liked the music and its approach on video games in general, a medium that many people see as a form of escapism. This is anoher film I liked a while back. I hope Balthazar's next film will be a commendable one.
Rated 30 May 2009
Rated 18 May 2009
41
14th
Why this doesn't deserve an applause or award: 1. the voice-over was irritating, especially the far too often used word games 2. the camera movents and photography were not consistent, at one point this at another that 3. the ending, WTF? I'm amazed there we're no reports of brutality towards mr. Balthazar because of the plot twist. ... Belgium and international benchmarking has always been a problem. (I do appreciate a movie critic for once actually taking matters in their own hands)
Rated 18 May 2009
Rated 21 Apr 2008
20
7th
come on!
Rated 21 Apr 2008
Rated 04 Jan 2009
80
64th
04 Ocak 09, 02:51am. & normal insanlar arasina girebilmenin sahtekarliktan ve yalan soylemekten olacagini ogrenen, asperger sendromulu gencin, yer yer sinir bozan hikayesi. filmin ortalarinda cok fazla geriyor - zorluyor seyirciyi. fakat sonunda sigur ros ile hos bi intikam iyi olmus. empati yeteneginiz yuksekse veya filmdeki basroldekine benzer bir karakteriniz varsa cok etkilenebileceginiz bir yapim. vermek istedigi mesaji da cok guclu bir sekilde vermeyi basarmis.
Rated 04 Jan 2009
Rated 05 Apr 2024
75
67th
Ters köşe film. Sadece park sahnesinde ileri sardım. Gerçek olaydan alıntı dense de gerçek olaydan farklı işlenmiş.
Rated 05 Apr 2024
Rated 18 Dec 2009
70
60th
I must say that this film was a lot better than I expected it to be. Since at one point in my life I was playing an mmorpg game as well to escape reality and having gotten addicted to it for quite some time, I can say that the film portrays this merge between fantasy and reality very well. In particular I remember a scene where Ben envisions slaughtering his bullies with the weapons from his online character... The one thing I didn't like that much is the weird plot line towards the end.
Rated 18 Dec 2009
Rated 20 Oct 2008
72
73rd
Definitely the best film based on the theme of a unfitting kid bullied by his peers I've seen. It doesn't resort to simplistic katharsis effect in order to make an impact and introduces fresh ideas to the genre. It's quite interesting to watch our Asperger syndrom antihero try to implement online game approaches into a real life, as well as copy normal behaviour as the unexpected but still quite plausible ending the author has come up with.
Rated 20 Oct 2008
Rated 19 Dec 2011
1
6th
A rather sappy and one-note "autism awareness/bullying is bad" pity party. Much less clever and existential than its big double twist ending would like you to believe. The lead actor's performance consists entirely of being so nervous he appears to be on the verge of shitting himself.
Rated 19 Dec 2011
Rated 21 May 2010
57
19th
To mix autism and schizophrenia isn't smart, in my opinion. It's not the same. And I didn't like the religious, very pathetic parts.
Rated 21 May 2010
Rated 13 Jan 2021
74
47th
Portrait of an oppressive struggle with autism is well-handled initially, with Timmermans' nearly unbearably intense performance making the evocation of the autistic's world convincing and empathetic. Becomes less convincing (and interesting) as it proceeds, contriving a somewhat melodramatic (and simplistic) plot about bullying and a potential IRL romance; Timmermans' intriguingly clammy performance could have supported a full-length character study.
Rated 13 Jan 2021
Rated 27 Sep 2011
60
46th
Just a note: the "True events"... just a bit inspired, the story is absolutely original in almost everything. The idea is good and the mix with the videogame makes sense in several aspects. It's fine too the MMORPG treatment, not one of those horrible things in USA tv-series that has nothing to do with real ones. About autism/asperger treatment, not that good. I like some things here and there, and not that much the movie as a whole. Some parts work perfectly, but others just don't work at all.
Rated 27 Sep 2011
Rated 31 Dec 2008
65
15th
Minor dutch 'issue' drama on autism and its social impact. The bullying is portrayed with suitable zeal and the lead's distorted grip on reality lends itself well to the computer game context. The twist is obvious and a little unnecessary but overall it makes a worthy effort
Rated 31 Dec 2008
Rated 22 Jan 2009
71
66th
Rain man meets Dexter meets school bullies. Interesting output, dead man walks in the end (girl in red), but the very last image was lame and spoiled everything. Sure it was more positive that way and gave hope, but I did prefer dead man walks version. That the culmination point was real.
Rated 22 Jan 2009
Rated 21 Dec 2015
80
89th
For some reason I was expecting a movie with Tobey Maguire, not a Belgium anti-hero drama. And I am speechless. The writing is almost poetic. I pity the non-Dutch/Belgium speaking viewers who have to read some kind of subtitled translation. They won't do it justice. I may be too old to understand the current school generation, but if it was up to me this would be mandatory viewing in middle school.
Rated 21 Dec 2015
Rated 13 May 2011
4
88th
I really like integration of (real) videogame's elements into film. And not just some dialog about game but also whole scenes that fit along RL story. Secondly, technical side is almost flawless. Although 'Lady in Red' is used fairly good I expected more. In most movies this topic is used comically. Here is not and it's still great movie.
Rated 13 May 2011
Rated 17 Oct 2010
15
21st
"Balthazar's aesthetic is ugly, aloof, maddeningly literal and unimaginative." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 17 Oct 2010
Rated 12 Apr 2016
67
8th
(...) 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(...)
Rated 12 Apr 2016
Rated 18 Dec 2017
100
74th
For the name of the movie "Ben X" ... it's a wordplay in dutch... "BenX", "Ben niks".... which would translate in english to "Am nothing".
Rated 18 Dec 2017
Rated 01 Jan 2017
57
46th
ger; [Ben X]; ein autist lebt quasi in einem rollenspiel, da er in seiner schule regelmäßig schikane erleidet - doch es scheint einen ausweg zu geben.;
Rated 01 Jan 2017
Cast & Info
Directed by:
Written by:
Collections
Loading ...
Similar Titles
Loading ...
Statistics
Loading ...
Trailer
Loading ...
PSI
?