Ben X

Belgian novelist Nic Balthazar's filmmaking debut Ben X is an absorbing drama about a teenager (Greg Timmermans) with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Ben, who communicates with his divorced mother and younger brother but remains silent at high school—escapes into the fantasy world of an online sword-and-sorcery game, where he's befriended by a female gamer known only as Scarlite. When reality takes a dreadful turn and Ben is physically humiliated by bullying classmates, his emotional state veers in a dangerous direction. For the most part, Ben X offers a harsh and disturbing examination of emotional isolation and human cruelty, deftly balancing Ben's enchanting online fantasy world with his bleak reality. And even though star Timmermans appears to be a bit mature for his role, he nevertheless powerfully conveys his character's loneliness and agony. Unfortunately, the film's end feels as if it were imported from a completely different production (maybe Balthazar was uncomfortable with bringing Ben's tragic story to its logical end). Still, despite an unsatisfactory close, Ben X is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras include “My Name is Lisa,” a 2007 short by Ben Shelton about a teenage girl whose online diary details her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a mostly powerful film.] (P. Hall)