At California Baptist University, some film students skip the usual small talk and instead of asking for Instagram handles, they want to know:
“What’s your Letterboxd?”
Movie logging has become a new hobby for film fanatics, and students on campus. Letterboxd offers a space to track films, share reviews and spark debates on films that range from Marvel blockbusters to black-and-white classics. What began as a niche platform for cinephiles was now helping students and faculty at CBU connect through their shared love of cinema.
Melissa Croteau, professor of film studies and literature, said the app offers a valuable space for students to develop their voices as critics and thinkers.
“I see people who are doing a lot of posting and checking on Letterboxd are forming a community of people who feel that their opinions and their evaluations and analysis of film are being taken seriously,” Croteau said. “It’s a site dedicated to people who love film.”
For Croteau, the benefits extend beyond film studies. She said the analytical habits students build on Letterboxd contributes to broader media literacy, a skill she considers essential in today’s culture.
“Making a habit of analyzing the media that you interact with on a daily basis… will help them for the rest of their lives to look critically and again with a sophisticated analytical eye at the media that they’re going to be interacting with all day, every day,” Croteau said.
For students, Letterboxd brings both academic and social value. Noah Head, junior film major, said the app changed how he engages with movies after watching them.
“Immediately after you watch a movie, to see what other people thought of the movie… it makes it a lot more fun,” Head said. “It’s also fun to go back to older reviews, like if it’s an older movie, and see someone who watched it a long time ago.”
The app also became a new way to connect with peers on campus.
“I have about four or five of my film friends on Letterboxd,” Head said. “I’ll meet them for the first time and they’ll be like, ‘What’s your Letterboxd?’ instead of Instagram.”
Tania Brooks, senior film production major, described the platform as a valuable tool for reflection.
“Sharing reviews gives film lovers a space to express their opinions and insights,” Brooks said. “It adds a layer of reflection and discussion that makes watching movies feel more interactive and connected to others who love film.”
Brooks said the app also bridges connections with alumni and sparks conversations that strengthens the campus film community.
“Movies naturally spark conversation, and the app provides a starting point for debates, recommendations and sharing perspectives, which strengthens our connection as film lovers at CBU,” Brooks said.
Croteau said this kind of engagement helps prepare students not just as film critics but as informed consumers of media in all forms.
“Having media savvy and literacy will help them for the rest of their lives,” Croteau said. “It’s about learning to look critically at the messages they’re interacting with every day, skills that go far beyond film.”
