The war almost destroyed the Letterboxd community
That includes the group that made the decision. “The end of the Gospel It is both part of a much wider story and a work of art,” said Gemma Gracewood, editor-in-chief of Letterboxd. “In this case, we recognize that our list moderators strive to preserve the Top 250 to allow film lovers to explore a century of independent cinema excellence without necessarily necessarily rely on intimate prior knowledge of a television show.”
This highly relevant definition is typical of Letterboxd, which has been addressing quieter debates on similar topics for many years. The platform allows users to rewatch TV miniseries and movies rather than regular TV shows (Present). In the words of one of the founders, this decision was made to avoid “film diaries being overwhelmed by binge-watchers.” Friend,” but special circumstances will always exist. What happened? When does a miniseries get a second season? If a show has feature-length episodesAre they all dramas?
To quote MegalopolisNew controversial film by Letterboxd user Francis Ford CoppolaThe debate is what really matters. These are the kinds of highly technical, unabashedly technical disagreements that form the foundation of almost every internet community. “Cinephiles love to rank things,” says film journalist Brandon Streussnig. “We all like to make our little lists, and when a list doesn’t reflect ours, that personal discomfort comes through even if it’s unreasonable.”
Streussnig also notes that there is another emotional element: the film itself. “[End of Evangelion is] a movie that means more to those who love it than almost anything. It hits them on an almost existential level. So to be told that it doesn’t qualify as a movie for some fabricated reason, [and] therefore cannot be ranked among the great, the sting.”
All of this is why Letterboxd has had so much success in the first place. Fifteen million users might not seem too impressive for a social platform, but it is huge for such a specific and niche community. As of IMDB Turn off its message board in 2017, Letterboxd became a hub for online movie fans. Actor now regular list their top four movies on press trips. Bright stars like Ryan Johnson And Ayo Edebiri there are active and opinionated accounts, and last month John Carpenter had to personally confirmed that he was impersonation on the platform.
As it grows, so does the importance of its decisions. Letterboxd had to reverse course: After months of deleting all reviews of David Lynch Twin Peaks: The ReturnMailboxd officially lists it in December 2017, after Museum of Modern Art And Cahiers du Cinema both called it one of the best films of the year.
With The end of the Gospelthere isn’t any higher authority—the decision rests entirely with Letterboxd. Gracewood described this as an all-hands-on-deck moment, convening “members of the list moderation team with our editorial, social, community and data teams to review different aspects of the decision ”.
Finally, after “a smooth and quick process,” The end of the Gospel returned to the top list in less than 48 hours. Letterboxd users were pleased with the decision, but no one expected the reconciliation to last long. “We know this won’t be the last time our community tells us what they think,” Gracewood said. It is an acknowledgment that this is an inevitable part of the space they have cultivated. A social network dedicated to art organization and criticism needs to respond to criticism of the way they organize things.
Sure enough, on October 7, the anime movie Perfect blue color passing that to take the number 1 position on the platform’s list Top rated horror movies. At the time of writing, hundreds of commenters on X, Reddit, and Letterboxd are arguing back and forth over whether or not the film qualifies as horror. At least everyone agrees that this time it’s a movie.
