It’s all too often we hear about the digital downfall of the internet for adolescents and young adults; bullying, harassment, time spent in front of a screen when they could be playing outdoors. But what about those who face obstacles in the physical world and instead forge positive experiences online? Premiering at Sundance Film Festival in 2024 and acquired by Netflix, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin portrays Mats Steen, a young man born with a degenerative disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Wheelchair-bound at a young age, Mats was drawn to playing video games at home, spending the majority of his hours involved in World of Warcraft. While his family was increasingly worried that their son wouldn’t be able to experience the range of relationships and emotions that most adolescents and young adults do, an influx of emails and online messages after their son’s death at age 25 proved them wrong. Winning both the Audience Award and the Directing Award at Sundance, the Norwegian documentary tugs at the heartstrings of viewers without falling into the trap of pity, instead shining a lens onto an alternative form of online social relations that allows some individuals such as Mats a remarkable amount of connection and freedom.
Shot in camcorder footage, interview pieces and digital animation in the style of World of Warcraft, Benjamin Ree’s documentary brings a vibrancy to Mats childhood and adolescence as his musculature grows weaker each year. With a growing affinity towards blogging his philosophical thoughts and connecting with characters through online gaming, portions of his posts and archival transcripts are read through voiceovers in the film. The documentary brings Mats, otherwise known as his digital hunky character ‘Ibelin’ in his World of Warcraft campaign, to life by introspective readings of his online journal as well as intimate conversations he has with other characters in the game, many who he’s built a relationship with over a number of years. The great detail the animators used to signify the World of Warcraft characters’ expressions and playful interactions with each other has a powerful effect on fully rendering conversations and flirtations as an absolutely legitimate and palpable experience.
Despite only being able to move his fingers towards the end of his young adulthood, Mats was able to utilize special equipment to communicate and play in his World of Warcraft adventures. His innate empathy helps many individuals around the world take a closer look at their inner lives, even helping a single mother build a stronger emotional connection with her autistic son. Despite many individuals interviewed stating that ‘Ibelin’ had a way of getting them to open up about their personal lives, he greatly remained a mystery to those around him when it came to his inner thoughts and health condition. In a world where many ridicule the internet for being misconstrued as reality, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a heartfelt look at how humane connections can be in the virtual world, and one that undeniably gives significant meaning to an individual when much of society had closed their doors on him.
