Charli xcx's Letterboxd has been found, and it's full of French films The most Francophile pop star
Following the neon green wave of Brat summer, Charli xcx made a 180-degree turn. Out with the hyper-calibrated electronic pop that electrified 2024: the British artist is now leaning toward a raw, urgent rock sound, embodied by an ultra-short album seeking complete disruption. Recorded in Paris in just ten days during Fashion Week in autumn 2025, the record was anchored at the legendary Rue Boyer studio (20th arrondissement), founded by Victor Lévy-Lasne and Maxime Le Guil - a venue that has become an essential spot for international stars, from Dua Lipa to Rosalía and Pharrell Williams.
However, Charli xcx's French obsession goes far beyond music. To craft her new visuals (Rock Music, SS26, and Camera), she surrounded herself with a close French circle. In the music video for Camera, she brought in one of French cinema's most iconic yet controversial figures: Vincent Cassel. Influential personalities from Paris's fashion and cultural scenes also gravitate around her, including Anthony Vaccarello, Carine Roitfeld, and PR agent Lucien Pagès.
Letterboxd: the singer's film diary
If the British artist surrounds herself so heavily with locals, it is primarily because she draws deep inspiration from French culture - particularly its cinema. Like any modern cinephile, Charli xcx holds a Pro/Patron account on Letterboxd. Originally anonymous, her profile was quickly tracked down by her fan base. Aware that thousands of fans now read her posts, the singer uses her reviews as an extension of her artistic world and another way to foster a close connection with her audience.
Among the hundred-or-so titles listed on her profile, French New Wave holds a special place. She harbors a particular obsession with Jean-Luc Godard, awarding five stars to Richard Linklater’s recent Nouvelle Vague (2025), a four-César-winning homage retracing the chaotic production of Breathless in 1960.
Her curiosity about contemporary French cinema is equally sharp. Her watch history includes auteur cinema by Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall, Sibyl), Quentin Dupieux's corrosive surrealism (Yannick, The Piano Accident), as well as the generational drama Zero Fucks Given starring Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Between silent masterpieces and hallucinated transes
The pop star's profile reveals a clear taste for radical choices, highlighted by two works that seem worlds apart.
On one hand, she praises Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Originally intended to be a talkie before technical issues forced it to be silent, this masterpiece retains the structural language of sound cinema, creating a uniquely disorienting experience. Charli xcx shared that she discovered the film after spotting its visual reference in Godard’s Vivre Sa Vie, leaving a glowing review after her viewing: "I cried whilst watching it this morning at home at 6am (coz jet lag). What a beautiful and tragic movie that amplifies the power of THE FACE on screen and the physicality of expression. Dreyer is potent, indulgent and dramatic as fuck. I was completely enthralled. I wish i’d watched this sooner in life."
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gaspard Noé's psychedelic nightmare Climax (2018) also earned a top rating of five stars. The singer left a short yet telling comment - "I wanna dance with George !" - showing a distinct fondness for the director’s organic, suffocating aesthetic. The connection feels natural, as the British pop star has been spotted multiple times in the same nightlife spots as the filmmaker, particularly around the Strasbourg Saint-Denis neighborhood.
Seamlessly navigating the highbrow standards of the French New Wave, the tragic intensity of silent cinema, and the sweaty chaos of Gaspard Noé, the singer proves that her musical evolution draws directly from the edge of French cinema.