You Just Found a Perfect Film Match, Now What?
You are scrolling through Letterboxd, that beautiful digital haven for cinephiles, and you stumble upon a profile. Their reviews are sharp, their taste aligns eerily with yours, and their top four films feel like they were pulled from your own soul. A connection sparks. You want to follow their journey, see what they watch next, and maybe even get a recommendation that changes your life.
But then, the momentary panic. The interface, while elegant, doesn’t always make the social features obvious. How do you actually add this person? Is it “follow,” “friend,” or something else? The desire to build your film community is there, but the mechanics can feel just out of frame.
This guide is your clapperboard. We are going to walk through every single method for adding someone on Letterboxd, from the straightforward search to the clever tricks for connecting with people you know off the platform. By the end, you will not only know how to send that friend request, but you will understand how to cultivate a feed that truly reflects your passion for film.
Understanding the Letterboxd Social Landscape
Before we dive into the button clicks, it is crucial to understand how Letterboxd frames relationships. Unlike some social networks, Letterboxd uses two primary terms: “Follow” and “Friend.”
Following someone is a one-way street. You will see their activity—their reviews, diary entries, and lists—in your personal feed. They do not have to follow you back. It is perfect for keeping up with critics, filmmakers, or any user whose perspective you value without requiring mutual engagement.
Friending someone is a two-way, mutual agreement. When you send a friend request and they accept, you are both connected. You see each other’s activity, and the relationship is reflected on both profiles. This is ideal for real-life friends, film club members, or anyone you want to have a more reciprocal cinematic dialogue with.
The action you take most often will be “following,” as it is the default, low-stakes way to connect. But knowing how to manage both types of connections gives you full control over your community.
The Prerequisites: Your Letterboxd Account
This might seem obvious, but you need an active Letterboxd account. If you are just browsing as a guest, you cannot add anyone. Head to letterboxd.com and sign up if you have not already. The basic account is free and offers all the social features we will discuss.
Also, ensure you are logged into the correct account. It sounds simple, but in the age of shared devices and multiple browsers, a quick check can save confusion later.
Method One: The Direct Search and Follow
This is the most common and intuitive method. You know the username of the person you want to add.
First, locate the search bar. On the desktop website, it is prominently at the top of every page. On the mobile app, look for the magnifying glass icon, usually at the bottom of the screen. Tap or click into it.
Begin typing the exact username. Letterboxd’s search will start offering suggestions in real-time. If you are not sure of the full handle, type what you know and browse the results. You can also search for a person’s real name if they have it displayed on their profile, though username search is more reliable.
Once you find the correct profile, click on it to go to their main page. Here, you will see their stats, recent activity, and a header section with their avatar and name.
Right next to their display name, you will see a button. If you are not connected, it will typically say “Follow.” Clicking this button will immediately make you a follower. The button text will then change to “Following.”
If you want to send a friend request instead, look for a small dropdown arrow or menu icon next to the “Follow” button. Clicking this often reveals more options, including “Send Friend Request.” Selecting this sends a request that the other user must approve.
What Happens After You Send a Request?
Your part is done. The other user will receive a notification in their Letterboxd activity feed and/or their email, depending on their settings. The notification will indicate that you sent a friend request.
They can then choose to “Accept” or “Ignore” it. If they accept, you become mutual friends. If they ignore, the request is simply declined with no notification sent back to you. Do not take it personally—some users prefer to keep their friend list very small or only for people they know offline.
You can cancel a pending friend request before it is answered. Go back to their profile, and where the “Follow” button was, you should now see an indicator like “Friend Request Sent.” Click the adjacent menu, and you should find an option to “Cancel Friend Request.”
Method Two: Connecting Through Mutual Activity
Sometimes you discover great people through the films themselves. This method is perfect for finding like-minded viewers.
Navigate to any film’s page on Letterboxd. Scroll down past the poster, rating, and cast to the “Reviews” or “Activity” section. Here, you will see reviews and diary entries from the community.
Read through the reviews. When you find one that resonates with you—whether you agree or find the critique fascinating—click on the reviewer’s username. This takes you directly to their profile.
From their profile, you can use the same “Follow” or “Send Friend Request” button as in Method One. This is a powerful way to build a feed of people who care about the same specific genres, directors, or eras as you do.
Finding People from Lists and Comments
The same principle applies to lists and comment sections. If someone has created a brilliantly curated list like “Visually Stunning Slow Cinema” or left a insightful comment on a review, click their name. Explore their profile, and if their overall body of work appeals to you, add them.
This organic discovery is the heart of Letterboxd’s community. You are not just adding a name; you are subscribing to a curated perspective on film.
Method Three: Importing Contacts and Social Connections
Want to see if your existing friends from Twitter, Instagram, or your email contacts are on Letterboxd? The platform offers tools for this.
On the desktop site, click your profile icon in the top-right corner and go to “Settings.” In the left-hand menu, look for “Find & Invite Friends.” This page is your social hub.
You will see options to connect via Twitter or to import contacts from your email address book (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.). Authorizing the Twitter connection will show you a list of people you follow on Twitter who have connected their Letterboxd accounts. You can then follow them on Letterboxd with a single click.
The email import works similarly. Letterboxd will check for matches between your contacts and registered users. It is a private process—your contacts are not emailed or spammed unless you explicitly choose to send invitations to people who are not yet members.
This method is the fastest way to jump-start your community with people you already know and talk about movies with.
Managing Your Connections and Feed
Adding people is just the beginning. A healthy feed requires some management. To see who you are following and who your friends are, go to your own profile.
Click on the “Following” count. This will show you a list of everyone whose activity you see. Here, you can also see who you have sent friend requests to that are still pending.
If you find that someone’s activity is cluttering your feed with content you are not interested in (e.g., they log 200 horror shorts a week and you prefer epic dramas), you can quietly unfollow them. Go to their profile and click the “Following” button. It will change back to “Follow,” and you will stop seeing their updates. This does not notify them.
For friends, you have the option to “Unfriend.” This is a mutual disconnect. They will stop seeing your activity, and you will stop seeing theirs. Use the menu next to the “Friend” button on their profile to find this option.
The Etiquette of Adding Strangers
Letterboxd is generally a welcoming place, but it is good to have some informal etiquette. Sending a “Follow” is almost always fine—it is considered a compliment. Blindly sending “Friend Requests” to complete strangers, especially with no shared film activity, can sometimes be seen as odd.
A good practice is to follow first. If you engage with their reviews through likes or comments over time, then upgrading to a friend request feels more natural and is more likely to be accepted. Think of it like a cinematic conversation starter.
Troubleshooting Common “Add Friend” Issues
Sometimes, the button does not do what you expect. Let us solve those glitches.
If you cannot find the “Send Friend Request” option at all, the user may have disabled the ability to receive friend requests in their privacy settings. They might only allow follows. In this case, following is your only option.
If the “Follow” button seems unclickable or does not change state, try a hard refresh of the page (Ctrl+F5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac). Clear your browser cache if the problem persists. On the app, try closing and restarting it.
Are you sure you are logged in? It is easy to get logged out. Double-check by looking for your profile icon.
If you sent a friend request and it seems to have vanished, the user may have already accepted or ignored it. Check your “Following” list to see if they now appear as a friend.
What If You Cannot Find the Person?
They might be using a different username than you expect. Try searching for their real name. If you are trying to connect with someone you know offline, ask them for their exact Letterboxd handle. Privacy is important, and not every user links their offline identity to their profile.
They may also have deactivated or deleted their account, which would remove them from search results entirely.
Beyond Adding: Making the Most of Your Network
Now that you have a growing community, engage with it. Like reviews that make you think. Leave thoughtful comments. Use the “Watchlist” feature to see what films your friends are anticipating.
Create a shared list and invite your friends to contribute. Start a “Film Club” by picking a movie each week and discussing it in the review comments. The “Add” button is the first step, but the real value is in the conversations and discoveries that follow.
Your Letterboxd feed becomes a personalized film festival, programmed by the tastemakers, friends, and strangers-turned-acquaintances you have chosen to follow. It is a living, breathing reflection of your cinematic curiosity.
Your Next Reel Starts Now
Building your Letterboxd community transforms the site from a simple logging tool into a dynamic social experience. It is where you find your next favorite movie through the eyes of someone you trust, and where your own opinions find an audience that gets it.
The steps are simple: search, click, and connect. Start with the profile that inspired this search. Follow a few critics whose work you read. Find one person from the reviews of your all-time favorite film. Use the import tools to bridge your online worlds.
Do not overthink it. The goal is to surround yourself with the kind of film talk that makes you want to watch, discuss, and explore more. Your dashboard is waiting to be filled with the next great recommendation. Go ahead, make the first connection. The credits are rolling, and the main feature—your enriched film journey—is just beginning.
