Many of the most compelling documentaries tell stories that you know nothing about. Ibelin tells a story that few outside the gaming community would know — few within the gaming community, either — but offers a powerful lesson that will resonate with viewers regardless of their walk of life.
The film tells the unorthodox story of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man who died at the age of 25 of a degenerative muscular disease. As his parents mourned, regretting that they could not give him the life they had hoped he would get to experience, they received messages from people from around the world, showing that their son had lived a vibrant life in the world of online gaming.
Although the story of a gamer might not sound like the most compelling or cinematic story, filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief) finds the story’s humanity in a way that will make everything feel relatable — whether you’re a gamer or not. It’s intimate and specific in telling the subject’s story but also universal in its message and themes.
Ibelin is a devastating and inspiring documentary
Ibelin packs a tremendous emotional punch, but that’s not surprising considering the story it tells. There are plenty of moments throughout the film that are moving and will have viewers teary-eyed alongside the interviewees, both for happy and sad reasons, but the finale of the film is genuinely devastating in a way that will cause those who see the film to feel the entire spectrum of emotions.
However, Ree’s film is not just an accomplishment on an emotional level but also a storytelling one. Ibelin is one of the most innovative documentaries in recent memory thanks to its use of animation, recreated in the style of World of Warcraft using the transcripts discovered from the subject’s many sessions in the game.
Although it’s clear that Ree had to pick and choose what conversations to feature in the film, he does an incredible job of telling the story — not just of Ibelin, the subject’s in-game persona, but of Steen. Through the bonds he shared with his fellow players, we get insight into who Steen was as a person and the impact he made on everyone he encountered despite never meeting many of them in person.
We also hear firsthand from some of Steen’s online acquaintances, as Ree interviews some of the people that Steen touched as Ibelin. From a woman who shared a near-romantic bond with Steen to a mother-and-son duo that Steen helped bring closer together, it’s moving to see the difference one young man can make.
Ibelin is not just one of the finest documentaries to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival but also one of the finest films of the festival in general. Although Mats Steen’s story is not one that would generally be seen as “important,” his impact on the people he touched was amazing. And in telling his story through this documentary, filmmaker Benjamin Ree has allowed his legacy to touch even more.
Ibelin screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which ran January 18-28 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 25-28.
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