Fantastic Fest 2024 – For years, Norwegian gamer Mats Steen escaped behind his World of Warcraft avatar named Ibelin as a means to cope with his degenerative muscular disease, which ultimately claimed his life at 25. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a well-crafted and at times emotionally devastating documentary about the community that Mats found in a digital world.

Initially, director Benjamin Ree frames the story in a typical and familiar fashion. We see pictures and video footage of Mats in a wheelchair. His parents talk about how they feared their child lived a solitary existence, due to the disease. The point is that Ree initially focuses on real life and Mats’ struggles with the disease. Then, the documentary takes a turn when a voice that sounds like Mats’ reads exerts from his blog. This is a precursor to the deep dive into Mats’ digital life and persona. His parents became aware of all of this after they posted about Mats’ death on his blog. It should be noted that Mats left the password for them. As soon as they posted, they received an outpouring of emails from gamers expressing their condolences.

From there, the documentary shifts again and much of Mats’ story is told through his Ibelin avatar. In fact, some of the folks behind World of Warcraft helped create the avatars that carry and navigate much of the film, thus unraveling Mats’ story and his place within this gaming community. I’ve never seen a documentary told from this perspective and in such a creative fashion.

During the runtime, viewers meet other avatars that Ibelin frequently interacted with, and Ree does show the real-life people behind those characters, who all comment on the friendship that they forged with Mats. Though he guarded his personal life, Mats supported others, including a mother who bonded with her autistic son through the game and friendship with Mats/Ibelin.

That said, the documentary doesn’t glorify Mats, either. Most likely because of his disease, he sometimes lashed out at his gaming community. At points, he was reckless with the heart of a female gamer. Ree offers a thorough examination of Mats’ online and offline lives, including the highs and the lows.

It can’t be understated how profound Mats’ loneliness was due to his condition. In more than one blog post, he wrote that he felt like a prisoner in his own body and because of that, he’d never find love. In contrast, playing Ibelin allowed him a body and personality that his disease denied him offline. He also kept his disease a secret during much of his gaming experience, until near the end of his life. Thankfully, he found a supportive community.

When the documentary ultimately arrives at Mats’ passing and the community’s response to it, including a few gamers who attended the funeral, it’s emotionally tough to watch. You really get to know Mats offline and online. From the outset, it’s known where this story leads, but you don’t want that climax to arrive.

Though The Remarkable Life of Ibelin certainly tugs at the heartstrings, it never feels emotionally exploitative. The documentary honors Mats’ memory. It also highlights a role-play community and how much it meant to a kid who was certain he’d never find love. This is a heart wrenching and moving documentary that uses World of Warcraft to tell a very human story.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin recently played at Fantastic Fest 2024. It will stream globally on Netflix on October 25.