Apr 18: Ben X

BEN X is at the Granville 7 through May 1.

Darrell Manson is a fellow FFCC writer, who was part of the Ecumenical Jury at the Montreal Film Festival. They selected BEN X for their prize, and Darrell lists it as his favourite - and if I'm not mistaken, his "most spiritually significant" - film of 2007. It opens here in late April. Here's part of Darrel's Hollywood Jesus review;

At the World Film Festival in Montreal, this film was seen by an audience for the first time. That screening was followed by a very exuberant standing ovation—far more enthusiastic than the applause that followed other films. This is indeed a rare film that combines all the elements that can make a film great—an engaging story, interesting twists and shifts, insight into the human condition and deeper meanings of life. The festival jury recognized Ben X by giving it a share of the top prize, the Grand Prix of the Americas. It was also voted the most popular film by the public.

And here's the PSA;

BEN X, Belgian director Nic Balthazar's portrait of a mildly autistic boy bullied at school, received standing ovations at both of its screenings at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award, the Ecumenical Prize and shared the juried Grand Prix of Americas. It also received the Black Pearl Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at Abu Dhabi, and it was Belgium's official contender for a Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Ben (newcomer Greg Timmermans) is different. He never speaks, except to his mother and to his little brother. He gets high grades, but is viewed as “Frankenstein” and “the Martian” by classmates at the high school he attends. Ben’s only solace is the time he spends playing his favourite online computer game Archlord, where he can be the fearless hero slaying enemies left and right. Ben tries hard to train himself for the real world he lives in. The harsh world of a technical school is for him a daily kind of living hell.

Ben X is a powerful figure in the world of ArchLord. He is everything that the teenage Ben is not. As the horror of being a daily subject to bullying grows, Ben devises a plan. Then Scarlite (Laura Verlinden), the girl he has met in his on-line game, appears in the real-world to point the way. That wasn’t part of the plan... Together, they concoct the ultimate end-game.

Using an exciting mixture of virtual reality, live-action and docudrama, Balthazar creates a riveting portrait of autism and its deep impact on both the autistic person and their families and community.

BEN X marks Nic Balthazar’s film directorial debut. It is adapted from his 2002 novel ‘Niets was alles wat hij zei’ (‘Nothing Was All He Said’) and his hugely successful stage play, which were both inspired by actual events – the suicide of a mildly autistic Belgian student who was virtually harassed to death.

BEN X also includes an example of technological innovation. It is the first film in which a director works in cyberspace with virtual actors. In the role-playing computer game ArchLord by Codemasters, a number of scenes were shot online with several gamers playing entire scenes with virtual characters on the basis of directives given by the director. These scenes were subsequently integrated into the live-action film images.

*

BEN X, Belgian director Nic Balthazar's portrait of a mildly autistic boy bullied at school, received standing ovations at both of its screenings at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award, the Ecumenical Prize and shared the juried Grand Prix of Americas. It also received the Black Pearl Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at Abu Dhabi, and it was Belgium's official contender for a Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Ben (newcomer Greg Timmermans) is different. He never speaks, except to his mother and to his little brother. He gets high grades, but is viewed as “Frankenstein” and “the Martian” by classmates at the high school he attends. Ben’s only solace is the time he spends playing his favourite online computer game Archlord, where he can be the fearless hero slaying enemies left and right. Ben tries hard to train himself for the real world he lives in. The harsh world of a technical school is for him a daily kind of living hell.

Ben X is a powerful figure in the world of ArchLord. He is everything that the teenage Ben is not. As the horror of being a daily subject to bullying grows, Ben devises a plan. Then Scarlite (Laura Verlinden), the girl he has met in his on-line game, appears in the real-world to point the way. That wasn’t part of the plan... Together, they concoct the ultimate end-game.

Using an exciting mixture of virtual reality, live-action and docudrama, Balthazar creates a riveting portrait of autism and its deep impact on both the autistic person and their families and community.

BEN X marks Nic Balthazar’s film directorial debut. It is adapted from his 2002 novel ‘Niets was alles wat hij zei’ (‘Nothing Was All He Said’) and his hugely successful stage play, which were both inspired by actual events – the suicide of a mildly autistic Belgian student who was virtually harassed to death.

BEN X also includes an example of technological innovation. It is the first film in which a director works in cyberspace with virtual actors. In the role-playing computer game ArchLord by Codemasters, a number of scenes were shot online with several gamers playing entire scenes with virtual characters on the basis of directives given by the director. These scenes were subsequently integrated into the live-action film images.