Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, Belgian teenager Ben (Greg Timmermans) finds it difficult to communicate with his peers. Suffering at the hands of vicious bullies, he retreats into the virtual world of the video game Archlord, a role-playing adventure in which, unlike everyday life, he can be strong and courageous. Meeting a girl, Scarlite, online who he can share his virtual adventures with, light is shed on Ben's increasingly unhappy existence. With her help and the assistance of his put-upon mother (Marijke Pinoy), Ben formulates a plan to take revenge on the bullies.
Cleverly blending the visuals of Archlord - a real game first released in 2005 - with film footage, thereby illustrating the overlap of both Ben's realities, debut director Nic Balthazar has created a potent vision of an Asperger's sufferer's world. Timmermans, a stage actor in his first film role, is commendably engaging, portraying the deeply troubled Ben sympathetically, without glossing over what is often a distressing condition for both the sufferer and those around them. All in all, this is an ambitious and largely successful first film for Balthazar that manages to tackle contemporary issues with intelligence and cinematic flair.
Ben X is a Film programme that first aired in 2007 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
