Tired of paying for six different streaming platforms and then still needing to pay for that one niche movie that has been sitting on your watchlist? Enter: Letterboxd Video Store.
The platform (which originated in New Zealand) has been around since 2011, yet it was lying somewhat dormant until Gen Z got involved. Now, it's set to move beyond a place for meticulously-crafted views and curated watchlists, to become home to the blockbusters themselves. Yep, with Letterboxd Video Store, you'll be able to rent the movies everyone's talking about, from the comfort of your device or television stream. Even better, there'll be none of those pesky late-fees that video renting of the early aughts came with. It's the epitome of a full circle moment for an already beloved platform, and one we are embracing with open arms.
What actually is the rental service?
Before your eyes roll into the back of your head about signing up to yet another streaming platform, Letterboxd can’t stress enough that "this isn’t a subscription service! No lock-in, no paywall. Just the films you want, whenever you want, and join the conversation with our community logging, reviewing and adding them to lists”. The platform won’t just be another cookie-cutter rental service, either: it will also entail festival standouts, long-waitlisted titles, and restorations and rediscoveries of older films.
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When will Letterboxd Video Store?
If you’re already an avid Letterboxd user, this addition must be music to your ears. Whilst the details are deficient thus far, what we do know is that when the clock strikes early December, you will be able to rent whatever your heart desires – from that niche Hungarian indie film, to a Wes Anderson cinematic masterpiece.
If you don’t have a Letterboxd account yet, you are missing out – leafing through the reviews alone is enough reason to sign up. A four-star review for Frankenstein claimed “Men want to give birth sooooo bad it’s crazy”, whilst a review for Bugonia read “scarily realistic representation of what thanksgivings feel like for families with mixed political affiliations”. The defence rests.
Feature image via The Virgin Suicides.
