The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

The life of a young Norwegian gamer who died from a degenerative disease is vividly reimagined when his online friends make contact with his parents.

Mats Steen, who was born with a rare degenerative muscular disease and lived the majority of his life in a wheelchair, found great comfort sitting at his computer. His parents didn’t think much of his confinement as a teenager. But following his death at 25, hundreds of messages came flooding in to them. Sent by other players on the role-playing game World of Warcraft, the messages revealed Mats’ rich online life, where he was known by his much-loved avatar Ibelin. Through digital world-building, archive footage and interviews with Mat’s closest friends, director Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief) reveals the astonishing lives and friendships within the game. A heart-rending and transfixing portrait, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin radiantly explores the immense power of community and human connection online.