7 Types of Letterboxd Users
By Chad Comello
There are many ways to use the social network for cinephiles. Here are the most common.
The Archivist
These completists’ mission is to log, rate, and/or review every movie they’ve ever seen. They get a small thrill when they find a movie they’ve watched but haven’t logged, because that means they’re one step closer to the comprehensive personal movie database of their dreams.
The Forerunner
These folks—most likely professional film critics—get first dibs on upcoming movies they saw at the latest film festival or critics screening. Whether as a simple viewing log or a full-on review, their reactions set the stage for the post-release takes of the masses.
The Diplomat
These users stick to positive reactions only, whether because they are filmmakers themselves unwilling to criticize colleagues or just because they don’t believe in ranking art. They’re eager to sing the praises of movies they love while staying tastefully, conspicuously mum on the rest.
The Flake
Every couple weeks or months (or years) this cohort will think, Oh shoot, I forgot about Letterboxd! Their often extended absences are punctuated by occasional flurries of catch-up logging that quickly fizzle out until their next reemergence during Oscars season.
The Rebel
No, they’re not on Letterboxd, and they never will be. This group takes pride in not joining the ratings-obsessed crowd and makes their own film-logging way, even (or especially) if it’s less efficient. Paper journals for the win!
The Diarist
Their unedited, stream-of-consciousness reviews make for entertaining if sometimes surrealistic, LiveJournal-esque reads. They’re less interested in reviewing a movie than sharing an unrelated, quirky anecdote about their cat along with their 5-star (or 1-star) rating.
The Listmaker
These curators turn listmaking into high art, eagerly ranking director filmographies and tracking best-of lists and creating collections with hyper-specific themes. They make sure there’s a list for literally everything, and the cinephile community is better for it.
Chad Comello is managing editor of Cinema Sugar.