The Permanent Crisis of Film Criticism

Mattias Frey's work, "The Permanent Crisis of Film Criticism," explores the ongoing challenges faced by film criticism in the digital age. He argues that the current state of film criticism is paradoxical, characterized by both unprecedented accessibility and significant decline in professional authority.

The Dual Perspective on Film Criticism

Frey highlights two contrasting perspectives on the state of film criticism:

Consumer Perspective: From this viewpoint, film criticism is thriving. The internet has democratized access to diverse opinions and reviews from around the world, allowing consumers to engage with a wide range of voices and formats, from traditional reviews to vlogs and video essays. Aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic provide quick access to various evaluations, breaking geographical barriers that once limited access to local critics.

Producer Perspective: Conversely, for film critics and journalists, the outlook is grim. The rise of digital media has led to significant job losses and reduced income in the field. Frey notes that the number of professional film critics in the U.S. has dropped substantially since 2009. Many critics now work for little or no pay, contributing to a landscape where quality criticism is at risk of being overshadowed by amateur content driven by commercial interests and clickbait.