Why Letterboxd Is the Only Social Media Worth Using
Where movie lovers log, rank and roast films—without the snobbery
If you’re a self-proclaimed “film person” or simply enjoy rating and ranking what you watch, chances are you’ve come across Letterboxd. For those not in the know, think of it as Goodreads—but with slightly more chaotic reviews.
On Letterboxd, you can log, rate and review everything you watch, follow your friends or celebrities (hello, Ayo Edebiri is on there), and curate lists ranging from the obvious, like “Essential Horror Movies to Watch This Halloween,” to the deliciously absurd, like “Movies Where Leonardo DiCaprio Ends Up soggy and depressed.” It’s a playground for film nerds, casual viewers, and the “I’ll watch anything on Netflix” crowd alike.
And it’s growing fast. Founded in 2011 in New Zealand by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow, Letterboxd has become the film-lover’s darling, especially in recent years. Its popularity surged during the pandemic, and as of January 2025, the site has accumulated over 17 million registered users.
I was introduced to Letterboxd in 2019, courtesy of a film bro attempting to impress me with his "taste." Spoiler: it was as predictable as you'd expect—Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, the usual suspects. Still, I downloaded the app, spent 20 minutes rating my favourite movies, and promptly deleted it out of boredom.
But in 2021, I redownloaded it during a housemate-led attempt to tackle the Time’s All-Time 100 Movies, only to find that while the app still looked like it crawled out of 2013, its user base had exploded. Suddenly, everyone and their mother was on it, sharing their wildly unhinged movie opinions for the world to see.
Now, I’ve made it my personal mission to convince every single one of my friends to download Letterboxd. Not because I think my film reviews (“And the Oscar goes to Hugh Grant's Hair”) are groundbreaking, but because I need to know their Top 4.
If you’re not familiar, a user’s Top 4 is a rotating showcase of their favourite films, displayed proudly on their profile. And honestly, do you really know someone if you don’t know their Top 4?
Mine is a rotating mix of How to Train Your Dragon, About Time, The Lego Batman Movie, Amélie, and Little Women. Yes, I gave Lego Batman five stars. No, I will not change my rating. It’s the most emotional range Batman has ever had, and I stand by that.
Beyond seeing your friends rewatch Twilight for the fourth time, Letterboxd is genuinely useful. Trying to decide what to watch next? Scroll your feed for ideas. Not in the mood for a flop? Check the reviews—if your most trustworthy friend gave it 2 stars, you know to steer clear.
The app also doubles as a fantastic red-flag detector. If someone’s Top 4 consists of Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, Fight Club, and Goodfellas, congratulations—you now know exactly who to avoid.
But the real joy of Letterboxd comes from honesty. Watching your friend rank Barbie: Fairytopia higher than The Shawshank Redemption is exactly the kind of delightful chaos we all need in our lives.
And then there are the lists. Oh, the lists. You can go as broad or as niche as your heart desires. I, for one, am particularly proud of my ongoing masterpiece titled “Movies Where Florence Pugh and Timothée Chalamet Get Married.” It currently includes Little Women and Dune: Part Two.
What makes Letterboxd truly special, though, is its refusal to take itself too seriously. Forget those dense, analytical film reviews; the app thrives on bite-sized, meme-friendly humour.
For Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ newly acclaimed masterpiece, its Letterboxd review can be summarised in a concise, uncapitalised sentence without punctuation: “nightgown buttoned to the TOP.”
Letterboxd reviews might come off as a bit cryptic to those of us who don’t have a 7+ hour screen time or use TikTok, but the 9,000+ likes on this review suggest otherwise.
It’s the anti-snob film discourse platform—a place where you can gush about High School Musical and dunk on The Irishman in the same breath.
For now, Letterboxd manages to dodge the chaotic pitfalls that have consumed Twitter and Instagram. Unlike other platforms, it’s refreshingly free from doom scrolling and comparison traps.
Whether you're logging every arthouse film you've watched or just laughing at one-star Titanic reviews, there’s something undeniably charming about it. If you’re a film fan and haven’t joined yet, now’s the time—oh, and feel free to follow me.
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