8 Signs That You Might Be a Cinephile

The suffix "phile" means "lover of", and so a cinephile is someone who really loves cinema. But, everyone who likes watching movies loves cinema, don't they? No, to rise to the level of cinephile, you need to really love the movies.

So, do you love movies enough to slap the dubious cinephile badge on yourself? If these completely unscientific charactertics sound like you, the answer is "maybe".

Streaming Is Convenient, but Physical Media Is Sacred to You

We live in the age of on-demand streaming, and it's killing physical media swiftly. Blu-ray sales are down, people aren't really buying 4K UHD Blu-rays in particular, and it seems the public at large doesn't care about plastic discs.

You? You care very much. You'll watch something on Netflix if you have to, but the whole time you're thinking about the bitrate, about how the color is off and not what the director intended. Are those blacks crushed? This movie is ruined!

A director's cut or Criterion disc? Now we're talking.

You Alphabetize Your Blu-Rays (and Judge Others Who Don't)

Your physical media collection is extensive, and you'll only give it up over your dead body. Which is another way of saying that one day it will be someone else's problem to get rid of your extensive disc collection. At least it will be organized. You've, at the very least, alphabetized the lot. But, more likely your Blu-rays are grouped by year, director, or whether it was made using film or digital cameras.

When you visit someone's home and their movies are just shoved randomly onto a shelf (covered in dust from disuse no less), you can't help but feel sorry for the poor uncultured fools.

You Know What a DP Does (and You Can Name a Few)

You not only know what a DP (Director of Photography) does, you have a top five list of names in case anyone ever asks you "who's your favorite DP?", except that hasn't happened yet. No matter, you can actually tell who the DP of a film was just by watching the movie. That's some elite-tier cinephilia right there.

You've Bought a Movie You've Already Seen—Just for the Commentary Track

It's not enough to simply watch a movie. No, you need to know what was going through the minds of the people making the film at every second of its runtime. So you'll happily sit through a three-hour film listening to the cast and crew say whatever comes to mind, despite the fact that they're clearly phoning it in and are only doing this because of a contractual obligation.

Still, if you don't listen to the commentary tracks, how would you ever have found out that Viggo Mortensen actually broke his foot when he kicked that orc helmet in The Lord of the Rings ? All those people you told this fun fact would have gone through their lives not knowing that.

You Can Spot a Wilhelm Scream Without Breaking Focus

You know what people really love about you? It's how you can effortlessly say "Wilhelm scream" every time you notice it in a movie. They especially like it if it's a movie you've all watched already.

You Use the Word "Film" When Everyone Else Says "Movie"

There's nothing wrong with the word "movie" really. It's got a nice tinseltown ring to it, doesn't it? It's certainly better than calling it a "flick"! But, film has such a sense of class don't you think. You're not going out to see a movie, you're going out to see a film . Just like you're not going through the drive-through after work, you're enjoying automotive cuisine.

You've Seen a Movie Just Because of the Director's Name

Unlike most people, you're not so much a fan of specific film genres, but more specific filmmakers. So you don't care if it's a comedy, horror, or experimental surreal biopic musical—as long as it's by Wes Anderson or Denis Villeneuve.

You Know What Letterboxd Is—and You Actually Use It

Instagram? Facebook? That's not the social media site for you. No, while you're watching a new movie, you've got your notes app open, ready to pause the film and write down your thoughts. Every film you've ever watched has a Letterboxd review from you, and people need to know what you think about every title you've watched.

---

Why? Because you are a cinephile, and you're proud. It doesn't matter whether a movie is good or bad, it matters that it's a movie, and you want to watch it. Because, ultimately, a cinephile doesn't care about specific movies so much as they care about the medium of film itself. If that's you, well I guess you're in good company.