The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

Play trailer

1:27

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

PG-13

2024

1h 44m

Documentary

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

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.

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a heartfelt ode to one man's ability to craft community and legacy through the realm of online game-playing.

Read Critics Reviews

Robert Levin

Newsday

A powerful, life-affirming work. Don't miss it.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 11, 2024

Full Review

James Dyer

Empire Magazine

A heartfelt digital eulogy for an unconventional but extremely human life.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 29, 2024

Full Review

Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

... A rare and beautiful thing: a moving documentary that excavates the question of the “real” in a profoundly humanistic and unconventional way.

Oct 29, 2024

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

It’s an argument that, as one person states in the film, “There are solutions to most things.”

Aug 26, 2025

Full Review

Aaron Neuwirth

We Live Entertainment

This is a wonderful story. Director Benjamin Ree takes the right approach to help us understand the value of learning about Mats Steen.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 8, 2025

Full Review

Stephen A. Russell

Orion's Shoulder (Substack)

Sublime

Dec 31, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Movie F.

A very touching true story about a young man with muscular dystrophy and the close online gaming community that cared.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/19/25

Full Review

Scott M

I didn't have enough knowledge of Warcraft to fully understand how the story was being told, but otherwise a very creative approach to storytelling -RIP Ibelin.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/05/25

Full Review

Mike M

Touching movie with a powerful ending. A life well lived. As a former WoW player, though, the animation scenes took away from the story in my opinion. The game doesn't work in the way that it was told and animated through others' stories about Ibelin.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

Full Review

Daniel B

Instead of making a movie about a handicapped gamer, they should make one about the people who created the technology that allowed that gamer to live a different life.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/25

Full Review

Sal D

Such a heartwarming and yet also heartbreaking film. Mata Ibelin Steen impacted so many people he’d never met and in ways he might not have imagined. This film is a moving tribute to the power of the human spirit.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

Full Review

Sue S

As a gaming sceptic this movie came as a complete surprise. So insightful and a complete eye-opener. Takes you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Benjamin Ree

Director

Robert Steen

Self

Trude Steen

Self

Mia Steen

Self

Lisette Roovers

Self

Kai Simon Fredriksen

Self

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

98%

98%

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill

84%

95%

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill

Watchlist

TRAILER

for William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill

Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

96%

98%

Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

Mike Wallace Is Here

95%

86%

Mike Wallace Is Here

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Mike Wallace Is Here

Becoming Cousteau

98%

81%

Becoming Cousteau

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Becoming Cousteau

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin: Trailer 1

1:27

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

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.

Director: Benjamin Ree
Producer: Ingvil Giske
Screenwriter: Mats Steen
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Medieoperatørene
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 25, 2024
Runtime: 1h 44m

Most Popular at Home Now