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Ben X
R1 - America - Film Movement Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (23rd February 2009). |
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The Film
 Before the days of internet and online gaming, many people who were unable to find a fit within the real world had no outlet to release their innermost feelings. Nowadays, anyone with a network connection and a decent computer can create an avatar that mirrors their internal desires; a completely dichotomous relationship of which few are cognizant. Such is the case with Ben (newcomer Greg Timmermans), a mostly-mute high school student with Asperger's Syndrome. By day he is subjected to constant ridicule in class, but at home he becomes Ben X, a sword-wielding hero in an online role playing game. In his fantasy world, he is the protector of Scarlite, his virtual girlfriend of sorts, and he feels important as though he were a part of something greater than his hopeless life. After a particularly humiliating experience at school, Ben decides that maybe it is time to end it all, but Scarlite won’t let him and she vows to stick by his side to help him in real life as he helped her online. First-time director Nic Balthazar is adapting his own novel “Nothing Was All He Said” which was based on the true life account of an autistic high school teenager who committed suicide after being constantly bullied. Balthazar shows he is certainly a competent director; the film is well-composed and the cinematography lends itself to the depressed state in which the titular character spends most of the film. Balthazar had previously adapted his novel into a stage play before turning it into a feature film, and he brings along some of the cast from the theater. Marijke Pinoy played Ben’s mother in that iteration, and she steps back into the role for the film. I thought she did a wonderful job playing Ben’s understanding but frustrated mother, trying to get him to open up to real life yet realizing that he prefers to live in his own world. Likewise, Ben’s virtual girlfriend, Scarlite (Laura Verlinden), does her best to keep Ben from killing himself by letting him know he doesn’t need to go at it alone. Greg Timmermans is the star here, and he provides a subtle performance that reminded me of Joel David Moore’s similar character in 2007’s "Spiral". Thankfully, "Ben X" is a better film. Although Timmerman looks like Tobey Maguire’s emo alter-ego from "Spider-Man 3" (2007), luckily he has a much greater acting range. You can feel the inner turmoil that torments him anytime he leaves the house to go to school. I completely accepted him as someone with a brilliant mind that couldn’t find the right connection to share it with the inhabitants of real life. If I had any complaint, it would be that we are made to feel too bad for Ben. I found the level of humiliation he was subjected to completely inflated and unrealistic. I have no problem accepting a few bullying students picking an easy target like Ben to amuse themselves with on a daily basis, but to accept that almost his entire class has no objections to his being stripped nude, displayed on top of a class desk and videotaped is a little incredulous. I especially enjoyed the film’s ambiguous ending. I like movies that make you think, and this film left some obvious questions once the credits began to roll. I’m not entirely convinced that the ending worked for me, due to some previously-established characters and situations, but I do like that the director wanted people to think about what was really going on. The film has received a few awards overseas, and was also the official selection of Belgium at the 81st annual Academy Awards. A remake appears to be planned for sometime in 2009, though no cast or crew has been listed at the IMDb page.
Video
"Ben X" is presented on DVD with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, which looks quite good given that it was shot in video. Color reproduction looks sharp; the picture is clear and free of specks and blemishes. Black levels are consistent and the whites never look blown-out.
Audio
Despite the fact that the film is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround, this is a powerful track. The film is presented in Flemish with English subtitles. The soundtrack consists of mostly ambient score work interspersed with bass-thumping techno beats. Again, for a 2.0 track it is quite impressive. Dialogue is clear and crisp.
Extras
"Ben X" is presented as part of the "Film Movement Presents" series, and there is an interesting batch of extras to sift through including 2 shorts, theatrical trailers, biographies and some text pages. First up is a short film called "My Name is Lisa", which runs for 6 minutes and 47 seconds. A young teenager deals with her mother’s rapidly accelerating Alzheimer’s disease through the use of a webcam video diary. It was awarded as the 'Best Short Film' of 2007’s YouTube Awards. Text-based biographies are included for the cast/crew of "Ben X". They provide some good background information on the actors involved in the film. The theatrical trailer for "Ben X" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. It runs 1 minute and 40 seconds. There is a text page that lists some of the other films also available from the Film Movement series. Bonus trailers are included for the film "Day & Clouds", which runs for 1 minute and 45 seconds and is presented in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic letterbox. There is also a trailer for "Grocer’s Son", which runs for 1 minute and 35 seconds and is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. There's also one for the Film Movement series, this is presented in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic letterbox and runs for 30 seconds. "Stella Artois Presents: Devil’s Island" is a short film/commercial featuring Ron Perlman. It runs for 1 minute and 31 seconds, and it’s quite amusing.
Overall
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