Eli Hayes. To say that we've lost a giant of Letterboxd is an understatement. To me, Eli was the face of this website. The inviting, curious persona, the drive and ambition of his own work, and his capacity for empathy. No one encapsulated it all like him. What Eli Hayes gave to Letterboxd is what the site strives for, and in many ways, what it has lost. His writing often was in perfect parallel to his films, which explored, dug deeper, into the worlds that we inhabit, the isolation of our existence. They're beautiful and intoxicating, and I provided a link to his Vimeo at the bottom of this piece, as well as another tribute by Keith LaFountaine. His personal reviews, based on poetry or music, diary portions or exultant acclaim, found the positives in any film he pondered. Cinema was life to him, he found joy and passion and pain in it all, and we shared that with him. Eli's mark on Letterboxd and the film community as a whole cannot be quantified. He pushed me to be a better writer, and reading his work always affected me on an emotional, instinctual level.

But he became more than just a virtual friend on Letterboxd, a profile to check in on day after day. He ended up moving back to the same city as me last year, and he came to work at the same movie-theater as myself. We shared long shifts and film discourse and laughs and awkward customer interactions. My first viewing of Uncut Gems was with him, sharing a pizza and a few beers. He was so excited about the experience of film, of us just hanging out and talking about what we loved. It was about the community for him, the varying perspectives, the culture and the sensation of discovery. We were becoming close friends before COVID hit. He made every day a brighter one. Eli had an immeasurable impact on so many people, and his influence extends so far, further than I could've imagined. I just wanted to share my story, as so many others have.

Eli, you were real, honest, and passionate about what you loved. I have the utmost respect for you. Your work will live on and embody your spirit. I'll miss your kindness, your evolution as an artist. And I'll miss you, my friend.

Eli's work: vimeo.com/elihayes

Eli Hayes' Canon: letterboxd.com/keithlaf/list/eli-hayes-canon/