Benjamin Ree, documentaries, film festivals, Lisette Roovers, Mats Steen, Mia Steen, movies, Norway, reviews, Rikke Nielsen, Robert Steen, Sundance, Sundance Film Festival, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Trude Steen, Xenia-Anni Nielsen
October 20, 2024
by Carla Hay
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
Directed by Benjamin Ree
Norwegian, Dutch and Danish with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark, the documentary film “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” features an all-white group of people who knew Mats Steen, a Norwegian video gamer who created a heroic online persona for himself called Ibelin Redmore, in order to make friends.
Culture Clash: Steen, who was 25 when he died of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2014, was a loner and mostly a shut-in but was a very popular extrovert in the online gaming world where he was known as Ibelin.
Culture Audience: “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” will appeal mainly to people who are interested in well-made and fascinating documentaries about people who live double lives.
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is a highly unique documentary about how a lonely, disabled young man created a heroic online persona named Ibelin in order to make friends. The story is about the power of imagination, but online addiction is acknowledged. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” includes animated recreations of what Ibelin said and did in a world that was kept hidden from the young man’s family until after he died.
Directed by Benjamin Ree, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” had its world premiere under the title “Ibelin” at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where the movie won the Directing Award and the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary. The movie’s title was changed to “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” after Netflix acquired this documentary. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” was filmed in Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
It’s revealed in the very beginning of the documentary that Mats Steen, the young man who had the online alter ego Ibelin, is now deceased. Steen, who was born in Norway in 1989, was 25 when he died of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2014. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which only affects males, is a rare genetic disease (with the gene carried by the mother) that destroys muscles over time. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” shows Steen in archival footage that consists most of family home videos.
Mats lived with his father Robert Steen, mother Trude Steen and younger sister Mia Steen in an unnamed city in Norway. Robert, Trude and Mia are all interviewed in the documentary, but Robert Steen is the documentary’s main narrator. He says in the beginning of the movie: “Before Mats passed away, he left his password for us. I think this was deliberate. It was something he had hoped we would find because behind the password was a world we knew nothing about.”
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” then flashes back to home videos and family stories, beginning when Mats was born, to show how his slow and painful physical deterioration affected his life. As a toddler, he would often stumble while walking. His muscular disabilities eventually required him to use a cane, leg braces and eventually a wheelchair.
Trude comments in the documentary: “It’s painful to watch your child growing weaker. He was born with a perfectly functioning body. But then, slowly but surely, he was robbed of everything.”
By the family’s own admission, Mats became addicted to playing video games. Robert says, “We agreed to let Mats play a lot because of the other things he missed out on.” By the time he reached his teen years, Mats had become a withdrawn loner who lost interest in a lot of outdoor activities.
Robert describes how Mats’ physical decline (he became tired easily and lost his appetite) affected Mats’ mental health: “He wasn’t as bubbly and happy as he used to be.” Robert adds, “We did worry about Mats spending so much time in front of his computer. I often tried to encourage him to go out more.”
Although Mats occasionally went outside the home for family gatherings, these outings became less frequent for him as he got older and became more defiant about not wanting to participate in family activities. In high school, he had some friends. But as an adult, he lost touch with those friends and eventually moved to separate living quarters on the first floor of the family home. Mats was a talented artist who liked to draw. He also started his own blog.
Mats would always turn down invitations to have conversations by phone or video chats with the people he knew online. He also declined offers for in-person meet-ups with the people whom he met through his online activities. Mats went to great lengths to hide his real name and what he looked like from his online friends.
“He loved his independence,” Robert says. As for the friends that Mats made online, Robert comments: “We thought these people didn’t know Mats because they never met physically and they never [verbally] talked.”
The Steen family was about to find out how beloved Mats was online as his alter ego Ibelin Redmore. Mats passed away in his sleep. And after the Steen family announced his death on social media, messages began pouring in from all over the world from people who knew Ibelin/Mats online.
Ibelin existed in World of Warcraft’s online fantasy roleplaying guild called Starlight, where people could create avatars for however they wanted to present themselves in Starlight. Some people presented themselves as humans, while others presented themselves as non-human creatures. Ibelin was a tall, muscular and heroic nobleman who was a natural leader and also had a charming way with other Starlight residents, especially women. It was the complete opposite of Mats, who never had a girlfriend in real life.
Ibelin was greatly admired, but he also had flaws. He was known to have a quick temper. And his ladies’ man ways could sometimes hurt the feelings of the women/female characters who were attracted to Ibelin. He also had a tendency to be arrogant and sometimes selfish. But overall, he was considered generous and helpful to those who were in contact with him.
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” interviews four of the online friends who got to know Ibelin in Starlight. They all describe how Ibelin affected their lives and the lives of other people involved in Starlight. Their stories are heartful and emotional.
Lisette Roovers, a Dutch woman with the online persona Rumour (a black-haired attractive maiden), was Ibelin’s love interest, and she says Ibelin/Mats helped get her out of a deep depression. Roovers said she developed real feelings for Mats too, but he kept her at a certain emotional distance by not telling her how he really felt. As Ibelin, he heavily flirted with Rumour, and they had a chaste romance of just kissing. In real life, Mats wrote in a journal that he had strong feelings for Roovers, but he was afraid to tell her.
Kai Simon Fredriksen, a Norwegian man with the online persona Nomine, was the leader of Starlight. He describes Ibelin as someone who had a talent for bringing people together and inspiring them to be their best. Ibelin was also considered to be very dependable, so when he took a hiatus without warning, his presence was sorely missed.
Xenia-Anni Nielsen, a Danish woman with the online persona Reike, had a platonic relationship with Ibelin that can best be described as being an older friend to him. At the time she knew Ibelin, she was having family problems in real life with her then-teenage autistic son Rikke Nielsen, who has the online persona Nikmik. “I felt like a bad mother because I couldn’t help my son feel good,” Xenia-Anni remembers.
Xenia-Anni and Rikke often had arguments each other, but they both say that Ibelin helped repair the relationship between this mother and son. Rikke adds, “I went from the most negative person in the world to the sort of person who can tolerate people.” The documentary includes a recreation of how Ibelin affected this mother and son.
You don’t have to know much about online gaming to appreciate “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.” It’s a story about how human connections that are made entirely online can be just as “real” for the people involved as connections made in person. The animation in the documentary is thoroughly engaging, but admittedly the aesthetic will be the most pleasing to people who are familiar with video games that take place in fantasy worlds. And there are some tearjerking moments. Most of all, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is testament to how one person can make an impactful difference in the lives of an untold number of people.
Netflix released “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” in select U.S. cinemas on October 18, 2024. Netflix will premiere the movie on October 25, 2024.