2008-02-16 I had the opportunity to watch Ben X (three days after its release on the
Berlin International Film Festival). It describes how 17-year-old Ben learns to live with his being an Aspie. The director, Nic Balthazar from Belgium, based the story on a real event:
Around the same time a boy of 17 leaped to his death from Gravensteen castle in Ghent. It turned out that the boy had a mild form of autism and had virtually been harassed and tormented to death. ‘I will never get over this’, said his mother in an interview. The same night I started writing a story. A book which, although it would not give her any real comfort, would nevertheless provide her with a measure of sympathy and understanding. It would be a story about the harassment and torture of those who are unable to defend themselves.
I thought it was very moving. And you could see several turning points in the story where Ben could have been killed (like the boy in real life 
).
Ben learns to live with his being an Aspie.
What I meant he learns to hit back. But sadly, that's only in the movie.
On thinking it over, it's Ben's story as imagined by that NT director, there are still large parts where I would say, yes, that's how it feels like to be an Aspie, and much of the action taken by his parents/teachers etc. are recognizable, but apparently even the director himself did not see why Ben would react as he did. In other words, Ben's thoughts/feelings are not explained well enough that a NT would grasp it. E.g. I had to explain to my NT daughter why Ben didn't answer his parents' questions about his being bullied - they just were not specific enough, I couldn't have answered them either.
When do you suppose we see it in the United States?
I don't know if it ever will make its way into US movie theaters as it's in Dutch. Perhaps there'll be a DVD with an English soundtrack for the UK.
Remember when the woman in Mozart and the Whale began to clean the guy's apartment, and I said "Oh no he's so going to get pissed" but others didn't think so.
He got pissed.
Ben X will be playing here in Melbourne as part of The Melbourne International Film Festival on Saturday July 26 at 5.15pm and on Friday August 1 at 5.15pm.
I have a guide in front of me and says that Ben X won three awards at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2007.
Here's the synopisis:
"Ben X (M)
Belgium/Netherlands
Ben suffers from Asperger's syndrome a type of autism that prevents him from interacting socially with those around him. The victim of relentless bullying at his high school, his only retreat is the fantasy world of Overlord, an online game where he is free to transform himself and dispatch his enemies without effort. But when the bullying invades his online world things spiral out of control, and Ben is forced to take real action.
The debut feature from Belgian director Nic Balthazar. Ben X is an exploration of school bullying, autism and the effects of online culture."
I'll post a review if I get a chance to see it.
If it doesn't get a cinema release in any of your countires, I'm sure you'll be able to watch it on DVD at some stage.