
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Mats Steen appeared to live a life of isolation. A Norwegian teen suffering from a degenerative muscle disease, reliant on adaptive technologies, Mats spent all of his time on his computer. It wasn’t until he died at age 25 that his parents learned what he’d been doing.
The gamers did not know Mats’s medical condition. Instead, they knew him as Ibelin: a brawny medieval nobleman in search of adventure. The online players regarded Ibelin as a caring friend, a ladies man, and someone whose advice changed them in real life. It wasn’t until his passing, Mats’s impact on both worlds was revealed.
The Netflix documentary film The Remarkable Life of Ibelin uses game logs and code to digitally recreate Mats’s online journey. Through Ibelin, he experiences companionship, romance, and acceptance in a community where he could be his true self. The film asks questions about the nature of friendship and what it means to live a quality life - even one in a virtual world.
In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Benjamin Ree.
SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched The Remarkable Life of Ibelin yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.
Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.
4.1
10051,005 ratings
Mats Steen appeared to live a life of isolation. A Norwegian teen suffering from a degenerative muscle disease, reliant on adaptive technologies, Mats spent all of his time on his computer. It wasn’t until he died at age 25 that his parents learned what he’d been doing.
The gamers did not know Mats’s medical condition. Instead, they knew him as Ibelin: a brawny medieval nobleman in search of adventure. The online players regarded Ibelin as a caring friend, a ladies man, and someone whose advice changed them in real life. It wasn’t until his passing, Mats’s impact on both worlds was revealed.
The Netflix documentary film The Remarkable Life of Ibelin uses game logs and code to digitally recreate Mats’s online journey. Through Ibelin, he experiences companionship, romance, and acceptance in a community where he could be his true self. The film asks questions about the nature of friendship and what it means to live a quality life - even one in a virtual world.
In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Benjamin Ree.
SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched The Remarkable Life of Ibelin yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.
Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.
3,249 Listeners
11,833 Listeners
9,133 Listeners
1,087 Listeners
35,463 Listeners
2,903 Listeners
5,579 Listeners
25,399 Listeners
47,886 Listeners
192 Listeners
742 Listeners
744 Listeners
3,945 Listeners
913 Listeners
863 Listeners
2,689 Listeners
7,363 Listeners
7,116 Listeners
1,102 Listeners
54 Listeners
186 Listeners
76 Listeners
9 Listeners
166 Listeners
172 Listeners
22 Listeners
6,731 Listeners
7 Listeners
8 Listeners
4 Listeners