A year ago, I became obsessed with Goodreads.
Books have been a major part of my life since I began reading at the age of two. Since then, I’ve read hundreds of books, picking up fantasy, historical fiction, and my personal favorite genre, romance. However, I didn’t have a medium to keep track of all these books, so when I discovered Goodreads, it’s safe to say that I was ecstatic.
I became obsessed with the act of logging every single book I’ve ever read, subsequently rating the book out of five stars, and writing a partially snarky or heartfelt review on said book. I loved how I could write an easy one-liner to sum up my feelings about the book versus having to feel as if I needed to type out a lengthy, intellectual review.
Another passion of mine that is equivalent to reading in my life is watching movies and TV, a passion that has developed quickly in the past few months. Although some may think that this is a fairly general passion, since it seems everyone sits down in front of a television after a long day and selects a rerun to watch, I watch movies and TV for the love of the art of cinematography.
I think it’s incredible how a director, composer, executive producer, costume designer, hair and makeup artist, and the rest of a crew on a set can come together to create a work that, depending on the plot, acting, and set design, can elicit a certain type of emotion in the audience, whether that be deep sadness, humorous happiness, or a settled feeling of sonder.
As my favorite film director, Greta Gerwig, so eloquently said, “The way people watch movies, it’s amazing when the cinematography and everything comes together. People watch movies emotionally. They watch it with their hearts. They don’t watch it a different way. And the best cinematography, the best moments when it all comes together, it elevates you. It works deeper and it works more.”
One could imagine my excitement when I found the Goodreads equivalent for films: Letterboxd.
In 2011, New Zealand-based co-founders Matthew Buchanan and Karl Von Randow launched Letterboxd, a social platform for cinephiles everywhere to log the movies they’ve seen. The website/app name is based on an old filming technique that Wikipedia describes as “the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the original aspect ratio.” The founders named the site after their love for the wide-screen format of filming.
I began using Letterboxd this past February and immediately fell in love. In addition to logging watched films, the site lets users like movies, make a watchlist, make lists of any genre and topic, and keep a digital diary of movies.
Even though the film diary keeps my organized mind very happy, my favorite aspect of the site is, by far, the unseriousness of most of the reviews that are chronicled on each film. I can guarantee that if you searched any film on Letterboxd, there would be an unhinged one-liner review at the top of the most popular reviews column. Of course, long-form reviews are also entertaining to read, especially from a negative perspective.
Regardless of your opinion on any given film, Letterboxd provides a space where you are bound to find someone who has the same idea about a movie as you. Even if you hate a universally loved movie, there is definitely another Letterboxd user who hates it just as much as you.
Additionally, Letterboxd is free to use, but there is also a paid Pro and Patron option for those who desire additional benefits on Letterboxd, such as no advertisements, personalized stat pages, and pinning content to your profile.
Before making an account with Letterboxd, I never had a kind, familial space where I could fangirl over my favorite movies with others. Now, I adore the communal hub of cinephiles that Letterboxd helped to foster. This is why after I watch any movie, I immediately run to the nearest device and log the film, excited to see others’ thoughts and wonderings about the movie.
Perfect for casual use or completely immersing yourself in the wonderful world of cinema, Letterboxd is a site that allows you to connect with other film lovers and fully feel the impact of cinema on the human experience, proving to be a social platform that is well worth your time and delight.
