http://www.poptheology.com/2010/03/ben-x/ Where religion meets pop culture. Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:00:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.poptheology.com/2010/03/ben-x/comment-page-1/#comment-10646 Marion Grau Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:28:40 +0000 http://www.poptheology.com/?p=1288#comment-10646 I really liked this movie. The struggle of this kid to have people understand what is happening to him, the help of his online friend, his inability to connect to her in real life, but to draw from the connection with her the power to reach out to his friends and family to pull of a major stunt, and a death and resurrection trick is very powerful. Just when we thought he had been defeated, he has trapped his tormenters in a perfect scheme. A vanishing act, and reappearance act. The theme of death and resurrection, physically, socially, and communally is present throughout. What is especially powerful is the fact that the dying and rising of characters in the video game becomes something this Asperger kid can translate into social reality. For me the movie also raised the question of keeping a student with Asperger's in a school that appears unable to handle his difference in productive ways. Integration became a form of torture here. Hence, another question of theological import became how to deal with significant mental differences within the same school system. I really liked this movie. The struggle of this kid to have people understand what is happening to him, the help of his online friend, his inability to connect to her in real life, but to draw from the connection with her the power to reach out to his friends and family to pull of a major stunt, and a death and resurrection trick is very powerful. Just when we thought he had been defeated, he has trapped his tormenters in a perfect scheme. A vanishing act, and reappearance act. The theme of death and resurrection, physically, socially, and communally is present throughout. What is especially powerful is the fact that the dying and rising of characters in the video game becomes something this Asperger kid can translate into social reality.
For me the movie also raised the question of keeping a student with Asperger’s in a school that appears unable to handle his difference in productive ways. Integration became a form of torture here. Hence, another question of theological import became how to deal with significant mental differences within the same school system.

]]>