RaMell Ross Says He Reads ‘Every Letterboxd’ Review and Has Debated Replying to Pans

With the advent of Letterboxd, the phrase “everyone’s a critic” has never been more true. For many filmmakers, engaging with any review, let alone those that come from regular people rather than industry professionals, is a major faux pas, but for first-time narrative feature filmmaker RaMell Ross, knowing what people are thinking about his work is half the fun. During the The Hollywood Reporter’s Director Roundtable, the “Nickel Boys” writer/director told his fellow artists that he can’t help but engage with the public’s perceptions.

“I read everything,” Ross said. “Every Letterboxd. Every one.”

Many at the roundtable were quick to judge this choice, including “Gladiator II” director Ridley Scott. His biggest issue would be seeing a bad review and wondered how Ross handles the negative feedback.

“I try to build language to combat it,” Ross said. When asked if he ever responds to these reviews, he added, “No no, I’ve thought about it, many times. Not the time.”

Jumping into the conversation, “Dune: Part Two” writer/director Denis Villeneuve felt similarly to Scott and preferred to leave reviews to those not actually involved in making the work. For him, hearing too much from others may distract from his own guiding voice.

“When your movie comes out, you have to have your own perception of your work and where you stand, where you go next,” Villeneuve said, “because if people say you’re a failure or you’re a genius, you need to keep your own perspective about your work, to be honest about where you stand and where you have to evolve, and I think that that relationship with the object is super important.”

This being said, when on the red carpet for the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival at the beginning of the month, Villeneuve spoke to Letterboxd directly about the impact its making. He also offered his appreciation considering “Dune: Part Two” was 2024’s Highest Rated Film on the app.

“The idea that there’s a community — the Letterboxd community — of film lovers, cinephiles, that are sharing film lists and their love and their passion, it brings me hope for the future of cinema,” said Villeneuve to Letterboxd. “The idea that people are so interested and passionate about movies. To know there is an appetite for cinema is the best reward for me.”

Watch THR’s full Director Roundtable below.