Travis:

The majority of us can only imagine blindly what it must be like to live every day of your life with autism. Unfortunately, there are many of us in the world who choose not to consider this question and instead choose to take the “easy” path of casting those who seem “different” out of our society of acceptance.

‘Ben X’ is directed by Nic Balthazar. It tells the story of Ben, a teenager with a specific form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Ben spends much of his free time playing an online computer fantasy game called ArchLord where he feels at home. Ben feels like a hero when he plays his game and it allows for him to live a sort of second, more fulfilling life. Unfortunately, when Ben is not in the comfort of his home he finds himself repeatedly picked on and bullied. The other students at school harass and terrorize him for “being” different and Ben’s inability to interact with them socially makes it difficult for him to peacefully defend himself.

The thing that no one else realizes, including his distressed mother, is that Ben yearns to live a normal life. Not necessarily one without his autism, but one where he’s not abused on a daily basis. Ben has been carrying on a meaningful relationship with a fellow gamer called Scarlite, with whom he plays ArchLord with. The two of them live out their relationship online through their characters, until Scarlite decides she wants to meet Ben in person. When they do finally meet, Ben cannot force himself to seal the deal and he risks losing her forever. In addition, Ben’s curiosity about death and suicide begin to take a stronger hold on his life, tempting him with a fail-safe solution to his life of peer-induced misery. Ben will ultimately make a powerful decision about his life that will affect everyone in his life.

‘Ben X’ takes the audience on a stomach-churning tour of his life. Balthazar manages to reinforce the unsettling story with unstable camera techniques and jarring motion to keep the audience from getting too comfortable. Watching the film is an experience of being an uneasy witness and a moth drawn to light all at once. Throughout the film, Ben imagines himself as his hero character from ArchLord as a way to help him cope with the stress of his life and Balthazar utilizes the CG special FX with great effectiveness in this way. ‘Ben X’ is an amazing film with a superb story and a powerful message about the state of our teenage culture towards a growing population with autism. This is a film that is beneficial to all, but should resonate strongly with the teenage crowd and hopefully impact them in a positive way. I strongly suggest this film to everyone!

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]

Festival Screening Date: Saturday, November 22 @ 12:15pm (Frontenac)