Dorathen Better Late Then Never

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

FilmCriticLalitRao Ben X is one of the few modern films which deals with the binary notions of real life versus virtual life.It has all the right qualities to be called an extremely intelligent film as it gives equal importance to both types of life. Actor Greg Timmermans gives of one his career's best performances as 'Ben'-an autistic young man who is completely cut off from outside reality.It is the world of online games that gives him some moments of happiness and peace. Apart from dealing with different lives,director Nic Balthazar deals with nefarious effects of bullying on a youngster.In a fairly decent manner,one gets to see how some troublemakers use their victim's innocence in order to harass their victim.The relief comes in the form of Ben's mother.One needs to praise all the help and support he gets from his mother.All mothers would endorse the manner in which she does everything to help Ben from falling into bad hands. Lastly, as the film is about a youngster grappling with issues related to bullying,it would be useful for other schools to watch it to frame their anti bully policy.

davidbeland I am not a gamer at all, so when i first saw the intro; Ben (Greg Timmermans) logging in his RPG account, picking up some cloths and weapons while narrating with his troubled and stuttering voice i thought: "Oh man, this is gonna be lame and boring as hell". I couldn't be more wrong!If you don't know how a guy suffering the Asperger syndrome (a form of autism) feels, this is THE movie by excellence. The actors performances are simply flawless, even breathtaking, the scenario is absolutely brilliant and the story, heartbreaking! Scenes after scenes, layers after layers you discover the cartesian mind prison in which Ben is held, trying his best to look normal. But also the disquietude and pain his family have to bear; some bullying scenes are quite painful to watch. If you've notice how teenagers can be cruel to each others, specially with those who don't fit the mold, then you won't have troubles believing that this story is based on real events. It's a very humane approach of a complex and misunderstood mental illness with a lot of depth. It's also a reflection on bullying vs "sin of omission" in a way. This movie should have way more exposure.

Michael Hall Being a professionally diagnosed aspie myself, there were several details and traits amongst this film that really contrasted my own personal experiences in dealing with the general public and their mass confusion towards mentally-inept differences that millions of other Asperger-diagnosed individuals like myself face daily. Truth be told, I felt as if I were watching myself throughout the entire presentation. This little Nederlandic/Belgium-based film touched upon so many similar experiences to my own, it was mystifying and immediately familiar to witness what our protagonist had to endure throughout the film. Let it be no surprise that this way-underrated gem has inspired and motivated me like no other Asperger-based film thus far. Hollywood still has an awful lot of work to do in order to truly convey the mind and personality of an introvert with such honesty and determined "high-end-functioning autism" ethos. Kudos to Nic Balthazar for writing and directing an honest portrayal of the sublime tension and utmost agony in which different-yet-the-same peers of my own endure regularly. Just because we don't smile all the time doesn't mean we aren't smiling on the inside. Forget "Mozart & The Whale", "Adam", even "Rain Man" doesn't quite hold a torch up to this film. I believe "Ben X" truly defines a generation of misunderstood savants yearning for affection by any means necessary. I strongly urge anyone to watch this movie at least once. You will most notably understand Aspergers Syndrome better and respect those who are diagnosed with it more so than ever before. Do yourself a favor: get over your dislike of subtitles and watch this movie NOW. I encourage everyone & anyone to watch. For our sake. Thanks for your consideration.

karenall2003 You won't watch this movie. You'll live it. One of the best films. It's a terrible shame that foreign films of this caliber get no press, no distribution and no money in the U.S. I just got an alert that ten lines of text are required to submit this comment. I don't really want to get into a critical analysis of story structure and style elements and so on - it's all amazing: the acting, the character, the realism, the fantasy, the twist. There's no higher achievement for a film than to make you experience what is going on on screen. The only recent films that made me feel that way are Babel and No Country for Old Men, both nominated for Oscars.