The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
8.297%96%
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
Varun reviewedNovember 1, 2024
I don’t think another movie has ever made me cry so hard and for long periods of it too. One of the most beautiful documentaries I’ve ever seen that really resonated with me. I could never compare my struggles to what Mats went through, but his experiences reminded me of my own. Gaming is something I turned towards when I went through extreme periods of loneliness and isolation for many years. When I felt like I had no friends in 2017, I would play Overwatch for 7 hours a day because I looked forward to chatting and having fun with my online friends. Yes gaming can definitely have a negative detrimental impact on your health if you do it for long periods of time, but there’s also undeniable benefits of camaraderie and happiness. It’s hell of a lot better than engaging in other self-destructive behaviours. There’s always a guilt associated with it, as parents don’t understand the impact of these gaming worlds and constantly admonish us for engaging in “mindless” pleasure. I’ve often felt like those vast stretches of time spent online, whether it’s gaming or social media, were meaningless as I personally didn’t gain any physical spatial memories from it but I’m wrong, I did have an impact on people and vice versa. That time spent mattered. I mattered. It shaped my personality on many fundamental levels. It’s really weird territory when trying to ascertain how much of our virtual activities play a role in the “real” world, especially when we rely on others to witness our life in order to socially validate it, but it’s important that we take the time to witness ourselves too. For me it was mental constraints holding me back which I’ve fortunately been able to battle against, but Mats had unbeatable physical limits which I can’t even imagine how difficult that must’ve been. It was heartbreaking to see the pain in his soul from not being able to do regular activities but it was also so hope inducing to see him be able to live a second life in the virtual world where he got the chance to experience various different flavours of life. This doc was edited perfectly, with really good animation, voice overs and recordings spliced together. It’s amazing to see how the online community responded to his family and helped them see their son in a completely new light. Please watch this documentary, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a gamer or not, this movie is a beautiful exploration of what makes us human and will give you a better appreciation of both our virtual and real lives.