Ben X a powerful Belgian film written and diected by Nic Balthazar who based the story on real events. The film stars Greg Timmermans in his film debut as Ben, the teenage protagonist who is constantly struggling to deal with the pressures of aspergers amidst a world that he does not seem to fit into. Ben finds it impossible to relate to others, and as a result is teased for being different and falls victim to severe bullying from his classmates; Bogaert (Titus De Voogdt) and Desmet (Maarten Claeyssens).

This film cleverly juxtaposes the real world with that of fantasy; everyday after school Ben escapes into his virtual world where he finds solance from his problems by takinig on the persona of Ben X - the powerful and skilful master of his game. It is in this online game that he meets Scarlite (Laura Verlinden), and they embark on a strange relationship that leads to the masterminding of Ben's 'Endgame' plan.

One if the things that make Ben X a success (other than the casting of very good actors - Ben's parents; Marijke Pinoy and Pol Goosson give great performances) is the stark realism in the film that is juxtaposed with a world of hyper-reality. The film gives a no-holds-barred look at some controversial themes such as; bullying, euthanasia, autism, the power of video games in a modern day society and suicide - which is rather relatable as a high percntage of Belgian teens have attempted suicide at some point in their lives.

Ben X is showing at select theatres around the UK, it is a thought provoking film that will stay on your mind for long after the closing credits roll. Copy and paste one of the links below into your browser to watch film trailer:

http://www.gas-agency.co.uk/Clients/Momentum/BenX/Trailer/4download/16x9_BenX_100Kbps.mov

http://www.gas-agency.co.uk/Clients/Momentum/BenX/Trailer/4download/16x9_BenX_best.wmv


For your chance to win a copy of ArchLord by Codemasters (the video game featured in Ben X) visit CFM's Competitions & Special Offers page.