Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Bjørg Engdahl.
Park City, Utah, Jan 31 – The first 10 minutes of Benjamin Ree’s documentary “Ibelin” is a story about a family coming to terms with loss after their son and brother passes away at 25 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. However, as the film goes on, viewers realize that “Ibelin” is actually a story about the life and impact of Mats Steen, who discovers a world of friends through online gaming, where he uses the moniker Ibelin Redmoore, famed detective and nobleman. Overall, “Ibelin,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, is a coming-of-age story about new ways of creating relationships.
While Mats’ parents, sister and gaming friends are interviewed talking about him, this film does not fall into the trope of nondisabled family and peers simply talking about their disabled loved one. Instead, the world that Mats found in World of Warcraft brings viewers into his mind, learning about him directly from a massive archive of game logs. Animators bring the scenes to life using models directly from the game.
After high school, Mats moved to his own apartment, showing the importance of independent living. His parents were worried he would never experience friendship since he was spending all his time gaming. “It’s not a screen,” Mats wrote about gaming. “It’s a gateway to wherever your heart desires.”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Mats doesn’t disclose his disability to his friends within the gaming world. He is afraid to share his true self, worried that he would be pitied. This then leads to interpersonal conflicts in relationships within the gaming world. Mats needs to learn to trust people and while he does not need to share his entire life with friends, he learns that he cannot allow that to make him angry.
Mats’ parents learn about his friends after posting a blog following their son’s death. Numerous letters of condolences follow, allowing his parents to learn of the world of friends Mats had. Mats played a role in so many of these individuals’ lives, helping them navigate difficult issues in their lives. One example is a mom of an adult autistic son. She tells Mats’ avatar Ibelin that she is having trouble relating to him. Mats suggests she interact with him in the gaming world, which she follows and ultimately brings her and her son closer in reality.
While Mats had a short life, he lived an impactful life, which is only revealed by speaking with his gaming friends.
“Ibelin” made its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. “Ibelin” has been acquired by Netflix.
