How to become a cinephile - start by saying 'film' instead of 'movie'

My partner is a cinephile, even if he doesn't use that term for himself, I often do. He's not enthusiastic about labels, but I am. And I am now very determined to be one myself.

cinephile. /ˈsɪn.ɪ.faɪl/ us. /ˈsɪn.ɪ.faɪl/ a person who is very interested in and enthusiastic about cinema as an art form, and knows a lot about films.

I started this last year with an experiment of watching old movies - called it 'slow cinema' for the vibes. It’s not that I wasn’t watching movies before but my dedication wasn’t as intense. Now it’s intense, I was speaking to someone the other day and they shared that for them cinema is religion, and I get why. Getting lost, escaping, imagining new worlds with others and appreciation of art in all forms - the cinematography, sound, small details, how you get carried through a film, the feels, emotions etc.

And so far, so good. I'm mostly spending most of my evenings unwinding with a film, going down director rabbit holes, watching interviews, and all that entertaining stuff. I especially like how actors approach the work, researching the character, the rigor around it, and how they own the role (hi Cillian)

It's so exciting; I should have started this earlier, but I am also so happy about the new films I have yet to discover.

I'm keeping a list on Letterboxd and sharing another one here.

At the moment, my reviews are better done orally than in text. I have an imposter syndrome given how film critics have a sophisticated structure in their writing. I enjoy reading theme dissections and overall how different people have different reviews for a film, and I can't wait to write several in the future.

Cheers to being a cinephile! I mean, I'm spending most of my free time watching movies, and I now say 'film' rather than 'movies,' so yeah, call me a cinephile! And I am keeping this list to rewatch and share with future generations. Don’t mind me if my updated retirement goal is being a film critic, I love that idea.