The ending is a letdown, as high-tech media mingles with old-school Christian imagery.
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10/22/08
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Ben X (2008)
67
%
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Reviews Counted:36
Fresh:24
Rotten:12
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Thoughtful and provocative Dutch film concerned with autism, online gaming and bullying, though loses steam in the final act.
Theatrical Release:Oct 24, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Ben is different and his life is a universe all unto itself. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism that prevents normal communication, and while he is a courageous hero—BEN X—in the... [More]
Starring: Greg Timmermans, Marijke Pinoy, Laura Verlinden, Greg Goossen
Director: Nic Balthazar
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Reviews for Ben X
This "issue" movie from Belgian director Nic Balthazar throws a dramatic feint so improbable one can almost see a cartoon question mark floating above the audience's heads.
08/29/08
The film’s moral, technological and psychological themes are glazed over, and the manner in which Ben finally conquers his personal demons is laughably overblown.
08/29/08
It is based on a successful play and has won festival awards. But its convoluted plot and an ending which we are not sure is real or fantasy prevent it striking home as well as it might.
08/29/08
Balthazar's aesthetic is ugly, aloof, maddeningly literal and unimaginative.
10/19/08
There's not a moment of warmth or ease in Ben X, Nic Balthazar's punishingly cacophonous debut.
10/24/08
Top CriticIn 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.
02/26/09
Ben X is about nothing and nothing.
08/29/08
[Director Nic] Balthazar's determination to draw a positive message from a negative situation doesn't quite fit.
12/05/07
It's a promising idea that hits the skids.
08/29/08
The film is harrowing, if maybe a bit melodramatic, until it crashes and burns in a feel-good ending.
12/29/08
The next it has cast all narrative sense to the winds as it grabs desperately at a triumphant (even feel-good) ending. So much good work, undone at a stroke.
08/29/08
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
08/29/09
Ben X's brand of reality [is] as vital as it is virtual.
07/03/08
It would be hard to guess from the final result that Balthazar has never made a film before; Ben X takes full advantage of all that the medium has to offer.
01/18/08
The best movie I've seen about teen angst since Donnie Darko comes from Belgium?
11/26/08
The best movie I've seen about teen angst since Donnie Darko comes from Belgium?
10/22/08
There is a lot to like about this daring drama but the final act pushes the suspension of disbelief to the extreme.
03/26/09
Undeniably a high-level achievement.
10/24/08
Nic Balthazar's morality tale is a shrewd exercise in expectation-subversion.
08/29/08
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