What you need to know:
How did an unknown, 10-hour film become a gem among Letterboxd reviews?
Letterboxd has become one of the most useful applications/sites for film and television lovers. In this area you upload your rating and opinion about a film or series you have just seen, and little by little a personal catalog is created that is shared with other users.
The great thing about it is These recommendations come not only from people who write about film or television, but also from regular viewers who have an honest opinion about a title (either the film or their experience with it). And that’s what made the Letterboxd community grow and increase its validation.
Although it is most common to find many movies that are trending or have recent releases, there are also some hidden gems from more passionate users. And here we find the title of the film Paint dryingwhich lasts just over 10 hours and the reviews are a gem.
Paint drying: a response to censorship
In 2016, Charlie Shackleton released the film Paint dryingwhich lasts 607 minutes and is essentially a lingering image of a drying wall. Wow, the title couldn’t be more literal. It’s 10 hours and a bit of looking at a white wall.
We immediately think it is a joke. Then we could assume that it is so a pretentious film exercise that we would only see on a (first) date with a snob at the National Cinematheque. But in reality the context of Paint drying It’s deeper, although that doesn’t make it obvious.
The thing is Its director, writer, producer, editor and photographer is Charlie Lyne himself (whose current name is Charlie Shackleton), thought Paint drying as a way to criticize the practices of the British Board of Film Classification. But why?
Classifications, ratings and a 10-hour film
In Great Britain If a film cannot pay the screening fee, it simply cannot be shown to the public because it is illegal to not have an age rating. For example, in the United States this is different because the creators (directors, producers or whoever) may or may not participate in this process.
And this process is quite expensive, especially if we think about independent productions or productions created through crowdfunding. However. There are costs for presenting the film and additional costs for every minute of production. So Shackleton came up with something a 10 hour film which the BBFC had to watch in its entirety.
The question of classification is more important than it seems because it varies not only in terms of cost but also in terms of cost determines how many cinemas the film is shown in and how many people have the opportunity to see it.
Paint drying was approved a U classification. And what does that mean? what is Universal and suitable for all target groups aged 4 and over. It has also been classified as a documentary, the synopsis of which is: “A film that shows how paint dries on a wall.”
Varnish drying on Letterboxd
According to IndieWire, In 2020, a Letterboxd user posted a review on Paint drying. The interesting thing about this comment is not that it spawned tons of reviews about the film, but that people used it to talk about their feelings and connect with other people in the application.
There are currently more than 7,000 comments on this Paint drying This doesn’t necessarily have to be about the film. And that’s what makes this space so great. First, We discovered a film that might not have made it into our film library any other way. And secondly, it created a community where users can express their feelings. Is there anything better?