By Nico Igarashi ‘26

Letterboxd: The place where cinephiles flock from around the world to write extensive — and unwarranted — tirades and spiels about Martin Scorsese's unseen brilliance and innovation in Good Fellas, or the outrage of A24’s latest flick. All of which are entirely original and innovative (not). But in all seriousness, Letterboxd is a fantastic website; it’s for people who love movies, and want to explore a vast and diverse community, as well as those simply wanting to keep a substantiated record of what they watched and when — it serves every type of movie-watcher.

More infamously than the review element, Letterboxd has a feature called “favorite films,” providing an opportunity for each member of the website to publicly display their top four favorite films. Since September 2023, the site has been posting, on social media, celebrities' own top four films. What ensued was millions of views and traction, but most importantly, an idea in my mind: what about Catlin Gabel School (CGS) teachers’ favorite films?

Teachers hold an important role in shaping our understanding of the world and the principles that substantiate our lives. Their very role is to teach us how to think, so learning about what they value within a film can be helpful in understanding their relationship between taste and pedagogy.

Moreover, it’s all a really fun time.

The most immediate and glaring question is, why four? Well, the addition of four from Letterboxd is deliberate and intentional.

A top ten is lengthy, bloated, and exhaustive. A top five feels uninspired, and leaves an awkward middle-of-the-road movie choice. Four films constrains an individual to a comprehensive, yet succinct list that demonstrates depth and breadth.

Another question, what is the importance of a top four? Well, movies can mean different things to different people. One person's list may include four childhood favorite films, another with avant-garde French new wave flicks; within the boundless possibilities of combinations, they provide an interesting and distinct look into an individual’s mind and psyche.

In addition, media is an integral part of how we exist within society and demonstrate our interests, identity, and personality. John Cusack in High Fidelity (2000) famously quoted that “what really matters is what you like, not what you are like. Books, records, films — these things matter. Call me shallow. It’s the…truth.”

The films we choose are an extension of who we are, or who we aspire to be.

The question isn’t asking for the four best films created. It’s asking for a unique and passionate answer. It’s not a debate, but rather an expression of taste and aesthetics.

Moreover, asking someone their top four is a synthesis of lived experiences and a way for individuals to think and consider: of all the films they’ve viewed, which were the best? Which provoked them and made them think the most? Which made them feel the most?

The question generates an emotional response. It’s something that is inherently vulnerable. It isn’t curated for an audience or approval — it’s an authentic answer, which is what makes it so interesting.

So, here are seven teachers, and 27 films that in some way, make them who they are.

Teachers’ top four favorite films