Ibelin (2024) User Reviews

Heartfelt and moving story about gaming, friendship, and communities

[chenp-54708 · 9/10 · 29 January 2024]

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

By far, my favorite documentary in the entire festival. Director Benjamin Ree does a great job on capturing the life of Mats Steen who passed away from degenerative muscular disease and how Steen's left an impact on the gaming community of World of Warcraft. Ree's approach on the atmosphere, emotions, and the conversations from the participants were thoughtful, interesting, and emotionally investing as each of the participants had very interesting discussions about friendship, communities, and an positive look in the gaming community. Many documentaries and movies have portrayed gaming communities in a biased and unfair perspective and Ree does a good job on showing an honest outlook on how the gaming community can create positive impacts without feeling biased.

Throughout, the production, camerawork and the sound designs are wonderful. The documentary uses a very interesting style where it uses mix of real interviews of people and discussions told through World of Warcraft animation style which really blended well. As the two mixtures created an interesting documentary presentation that almost felt like you are involved with the characters and them feeling real. There are moments where the characters interacting inside of World of Warcraft that are still burned into my memory.

My only small compliant of the movie is that I felt some of the musical choices were a little cheesy and at times not fitting on certain aspects. But as a whole, this was one emotional journey. It's astonishing to see Benjamin Ree creating such an emotional documentary that leaves you feeling happy and will reduce you to tears.

You don't have to necessary be a gamer to like this documentary. Rather anyone who has experienced with loss, friendship, and communities can get something out from it. Loved it.

Ibelin - The sad heartfelt story about Mats Steen

[Xarziel · 10/10 · 21 February 2024]

This is the first and only movie that has ever made me cry in the cinema. The story about Mats "Ibelin" Steen is a heartfelt sad story. Mats' suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The disease makes Mats slowly wither away. He is gradually losing his bodily functions and is bound to a wheelchair for most of his life.

Due to his handicaps, Mats finds it hard to live a normal life. His parent's tries to include Mats in different events, but Mats is slowly distancing himself. Mats finds happiness in video games. He spends a lot of time playing video games. Mat's parents thinks Mats has a lonely life, but little did they know that Mats actually made many close and meaningful relationships during his time playing World of Warcraft.

After Mats passes away his parents writes a final post on Mats blog. The blogpost informs the readers that Mats has passed away. The parents leave behind a email address incase someone wants to contact them. The aftermath to Mats' parents' supprise are the huge respons they get. Many people contact them about how close they were to Mats and how he influenced their lives. Without the parents' knowledge, Mats had lived a great life viritually.

A strong movie about a brave boy and the gaming community

[jeanette_fjeldheim · 10/10 · 10 March 2024]

This movie should be mandatory for everyone to watch. Period. Especially parents who have children who spend a lot of time gaming. I thought I knew the story that I first read in a newspaper a number of years ago. But no, you think you know the story - until you see the movie. What a wonderful person Mats Steen was! Too bad he was so strict with himself when he was so generous with others.

This is the first time I've experienced such a quiet movie theater. Everybody was quiet and remained seated when the credits rolled across the screen at the end. No one even put on their jacket. Now I know what to do if, due to age (or other things), feel isolated from the the real world. Then I think I'm going to be a gamer in The World of Warcraft.

Heartwarming!

[kristineahellem · 10/10 · 21 March 2024]

I was lucky enough to be at a screening where Mats' father presented the film, and afterwards he and the audience reflected around it. A mother in the audience said that the film gave her more understanding about her son's relationship with gaming, and they reflected on the fact that adults often judge the gaming culture before they have seen the whole picture. I think that was an interesting reflection.

This film was so beautiful and heartwarming. The movie addresses many issues surrounding gaming, and tackles a number of prejudices many have against gaming and shines a new light on it. It opened my eyes to the freedoms it gives to many, and the fact that so many strong and lasting communities and friendships gets made and exist on this platforms. It also focuses on making the most of the life you have, and the power that lies in caring, being kind, showing respect and listening to others. Would recommend it heartily!

So well made

[kjetil1979 · 10/10 · 26 February 2024]

In the story we got to know who he was and why he was always on his computer. There he found love, friendship and connections. Borned with health issues that did cost his life, his parents and sister thought he had no friends, and luckely for them so wrong they was. The movie also show how he could live out different sides of who he was, and on the same time was afraid also to tell other about who he really was. The movie tell in a good way how he did live his last years offline and online. Especialy his parents has show a lot of strength to tell his story, and it was so emotional that people from his clan came to the funeral. One of the best documentary ever seen.

RIP Ibelin

[MarvinLeroy · 9/10 · 24 March 2024]

I went to the cinema yesterday without knowing too much about the story, except it being very emotionally moving, and left it a feeling of gratefuleness.

This movie displays the story of a young man who had to live his life with a severe muscular disease, that eventually took him. Due to his incapability of taking part in life in the real world, he chose to spent it mostly digitally in World of Warcraft. In this virtual world he was not limited by his disease and could do things, that he was not able to do otherwise.

This documentary displays is life in WoW and how he affected others. It is a very moving story and I could imagine it to be eye opening, especially for elder people, who might not have a perception of how much a virtual world can impact people.

I consider myself a gamer as well, not particularly a roleplayer, but a gamer and thereby I know, how beautiful games can be and how they can yield relationships. With that perspective in mind, I also was moved by the story. Rest in Peace Ibelin.

Video games can reimagine a predestined life

[spencermcook · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

My little brother and I shared vulnerabilities with each other about the endless passions that we both had. During those conversations Michael would share frustrations about people belittling him, talking slow to him, and ultimately treating him different than they would anyone else. My brother died at 20 years old due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Watching Mats Steen's story told through home videos, documented conversations, and his blog titled "Musings of Life" was a near parallel to Michael's story through someone else's eyes. Not only is this powerful story a revealing depiction of those struggling with muscular dystrophy, but also a spotlight on how the gaming community can serve as a social anchor for those who need it most. World of Warcraft is used as a visual aid to portray the strength of digital relationships as well as showcasing the confidence that Mats develops with a secondary source of opportunities. Whether we decide to act on the possibilities in front of us or not, "Ibelin" is a reminder that people accept us and root for us even when we find it hard to do so ourselves.