Netflix Viewers Are Warning About A New Documentary That Will Make You Cry

Many of the best documentaries on Netflix can make the viewer emotional. Granted, some of the streaming platform's must-watch true crime series and disturbing documentaries users are warning each other about might be more suited to freak out the viewer than to elicit sadness, but that doesn't mean Netflix docs can't make their viewers tearful, as well. 

On October 25, a new Netflix documentary called "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" dropped, and many people who've had the chance to watch it have found themselves wondering who's chopping onions in the room. Let's take a closer look at the doc and why the video game-themed story it tells is making viewers cry. 

"The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" tells the true story of a young Norwegian called Mats Steen, which gained international attention in 2019 — five years after Steen himself died at just 25. He was born with a serious condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which heavily limited his movement and got worse as he grew older, leaving him wheelchair-bound. For years, Steen lived a secluded, seemingly lonely life in a basement apartment built in his parents' house, playing video games for hours on end. However, little did his family know that Steen was living a full life online playing the massively multiplayer online role-playing game "World of Warcraft" as his main character, Lord Ibelin Redmoore. He was so beloved among his fellow gamers that after he died, he was mourned around the world. Several members of his "WoW" guild even attended his funeral in person.

Steen's parents only found out about his robust MMORPG life after he was gone, but "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" reveals it straight away, and goes on to explore both sides of his life in a highly moving way. A combination of interviews, Steen's writings, family footage, and animated scenes that represent his interactions within the game reveal that by playing "World of Warcraft," Steen was able to enjoy all the social activities that his condition would otherwise have denied him. Within the game, he was a respected and well-liked member of a large, tight circle of friends, and his guild community contributed to the documentary with 42,000 pages' worth of documentation of Steen's life as Ibelin.    

Critics agree that "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" is indeed remarkable. In fact, the touching documentary has a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating of 98%, which might very well be enough to earn it a place on the list of the best documentaries of all time at some point in the not-so-distant future. What's more, critics have been open about how emotional "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" is. 

"It's about empowerment, empathy, and the impact we can have on one another, even those we never meet. You'll cry. It's worth the tears," Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote in his review. "Scoff all you like, you non-gamers, because by the end it's nearly impossible not to shed a tear after the touching finesse and shape of this story," Leslie Felperin of The Guardian wrote. 

Positive reviews are just a part of the praise "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" has received. Though Benjamin Ree's documentary has only been available for streaming for a short while, it has been a smash hit on the festival circuit. "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" took home two awards at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, an audience award for best film at Norway's Tromsø International Film Festival, and several other prizes around the world — not to mention numerous nominations. 

The critics aren't the only ones who have been moved to tears by "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin." X, formerly known as Twitter, is full of users who have shared the impact the documentary had on them, and the viewers' experiences echo that of the reviewers'. 

"I am not simply ugly crying. I am hideous crying. Anybody who's ever had any kind of friendship that's been formed by the internet will understand how deeply this hits," @Seabass_gregory wrote in the wake of watching the documentary. "I'm not ashamed to say it had me weeping for most of it. He touched many lives through 'WoW' and now through this documentary his life will continue to impact so many more," @mk_tbone tweeted about the experience of watching Mats Steen's story. Others, like @TorkieTweets, @BillyMiles1, and "World of Warcraft" developer Blizzard Entertainment's Senior Talent Marketing Specialist Arin Goldsmith simply posted various tearful images as their review of the documentary. 

Apart from viewers' tears, social media has also documented a brand new heartwarming layer to the story, as users like @faunfetti and Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture have posted about a touching online tribute to Steen. Upon the release of the document, many "World of Warcraft" players gathered to Ibelin's in-universe memorial stone to honor their fallen friend and fellow gamer with candles.