The Village Voice is quoted as saying that Ben X is "the best teen movie since Donnie Darko!" Forgiving, for the moment, that it was a quote from the Village Voice, it's not a bad comparison. I'd have to agree that both movies choose a strange protagonist and effectively draw the viewer into an entertaining head-trip.

There's a reason why you probably haven't even heard of this movie, let alone seen it: It's a Belgian flick with limited release in North America.

GASP! Subtitles, you say? Suck it up. Some of the best cyberpunk movies aren't in English, so learn to read.

Don't let the lack of visibility fool you. Ben X is a good movie, one that manages to transcend language and cultural barriers to give viewers a story with some decent twists, and at least one "Holy crap!" moment.

Ben is a teenage variation on Dustin Hoffman's autistic "Rain Man" character, forced to deal without any of the filters normal people acquire. For Ben, the outside environment is overwhelming, relationships with family are strained, and school is incredibly hostile... Kind of like that paranoid chiba trip that left you rocking back and forth while snarfing down cheetos for comfort last Saturday... but for Ben it is every day of the week.

On the flip side, Ben is completely in control when sitting in the computer chair. Ben's Everquest rip-off avatar is a big smoothy with the disproportionately big-boobed ladies, and he is able to deal with everyday problems such as attacking orcs gracefully.

When a classroom pantsing pushes Ben to extreme stress levels, Ben's already tenuous grasp on reality loosens. He begins to view the real world as an extension of the online game, and he decides to end things... permanently.

Which is where the story gets REALLY interesting.

Check it out.

buy now from Amazon Canada] [buy now from Amazon US]