Ibelin | |
---|---|
Directed by | Benjamin Ree |
Produced by | Ingvil Giske[1] |
Cinematography | Rasmus Tukia[1] Tore Vollan[1] |
Edited by | Robert Stengård[1] |
Music by | Uno Helmersson[1] |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Country | Norway |
Language | Norwegian |
Ibelin is a 2024 Norwegian documentary by Benjamin Ree.[2]
The film documents the life of "Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25."[3] The title comes from the name of a character in World of Warcraft.[4]
The film premiered on 19 January 2024 in the World Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary. Shortly after, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film.[3]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6] Variety praised the film, stating "It’s a world unto itself, and a glowing example of how moviemaking — like a person’s digital footprint — can be a form of immortality that soothes even the most devastating loss."[7] Other reviews were also extremely positive.[2][8][9][10] Cineeuropa found that Ree "ends up with a film that’s not about death; rather, it’s about friendship, love and life."[4]