If you’re an avid fan of cinema, you know it’s impossibly difficult to pick a true ‘favourite film’. Many people you’d ask would sooner give a ‘Top 5’ than their definitive favourite, myself included. Recently, I’ve come to the realisation that oftentimes your favourite film is dictated by far more than just the sheer quality of the movie itself. An equal influence is the role this favourite film of yours has played in shaping your love of film. It’s also the lasting impression the film leaves after each re-watch, amplifying its influence on your favourites list. But above all else – for me at least – it’s the tradition of watching it over and over again, and the memories that come with that, that make The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010) my favourite film of all time.

It all started on Christmas Day, 2011. Back when my film viewing was limited to the offerings of the Sky Movies channel on the telly (truly a pre-Netflix world), I lived and died by whatever was put in front of me. Sure, it led to me overindulging in some guilty pleasures – look no further than my adoration of the Joseph Gordon-Levitt biker flick Premium Rush (David Koepp, 2012) – but it also set the stage for what would become a cherished Christmastime ritual. I first saw David Fincher’s timely masterpiece The Social Network on Christmas Day, and its impression on me has never faded. A year later, the film happened to be on TV on Christmas Day once again. Acting on this ‘funny coincidence’ led to me starting a strange tradition that has nonetheless  stayed close to my heart. 

The Social Network is an outstanding film, this much is difficult to refute. Not even taking into account how riveting the true story behind it  is, it’s a testament to the cinematic potential available when geniuses of respective filmmaking fields come together. Fincher’s talent is undisputed, somehow making the story behind the founding of a social media platform into as thrilling and twisted a film as his far more violent classics like Zodiac (2007) and Se7en (1995). Aaron Sorkin’s razor-sharp script is a masterclass in storytelling, cramming its faithfully comprehensive source material into a tight two hours injected with the trademark breakneck ‘walk-and-talk’ dialogue  Sorkin is known for. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerburg remains a career-best performance and, for my money, was a disgraceful overlook for the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar that year. Every faucet of this film just oozes talent. From Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s propulsive score to Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall’s exceptionally layered editing, The Social Network thrills in every regard. In theory, it is undeniably a respectable pick for one’s favourite film. 

Yet, it’s not often that it’s held in such a regard. Ask anyone who’s seen it, chances are they’ll say it’s a ‘very good film’. But people ask me all the time what my favourite film is and, when I tell them, nine times out of ten their response is “Oh really? The Facebook movie?” The definition of a favourite film always stretches to one’s personal taste, but the expectations of this are such that people expect more dramatic or unique choices. No one ever expects the mainstream biopic. So why is The Social Network my favourite film?

Aside from the qualitative reasons I’ve already outlined, I attribute it to the circumstances under which I always watch the film: tradition. Every Christmas Day since 2011, I have watched The Social Network. Every year the routine varies slightly: my family to-and-fro between supporting the tradition I have inadvertently imposed on them and relegating me to my room to continue the trend in solitude. Every time I mention my habit, I receive the usual deluge of “It’s not a Christmas movie” retorts. Who can blame them? It’s no Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003) when it comes to festive sentimentality. But this annual viewing tradition is exactly what’s elevated The Social Network from its generally appraised status into my favourite film of all time. 

I go back to my point on what causes a great film to become our favourite film. Why are they our favourites? It can’t always simply be the quality of the film itself. No, it’s also down to the memories we associate with these films. How we felt when we first watched them, where we were in our lives. When I watch family drama Stuck in Love (Josh Boone, 2012), I think back on how stressed I was the night before English Paper One, and how I considered watching it as ‘study’ because it was a film about writers. When I watch X-Men: Days of Future Past (Bryan Singer, 2014), I think of how I saw it in cinemas with my dad and it convinced us that modern comic book films could be thought-provoking and powerful while remaining thoroughly entertaining blockbuster romps. These experiences help us find our favourite films. 

I’ve watched The Social Network on Christmas Day every year for the last nine years. That’s a lot of condescending comments and pretentious entrepreneurialism. I’ve seen it on my own in my room, studying it meticulously, and I’ve seen it in the sitting room with my family, pointing out its virtues and firing off trivia about it. I’ve watched it when I’ve been elated from an exciting day of gift-giving (and getting), and I’ve watched it when I’m eager to distract myself from it being my first Christmas without a loved one. Each year I see it, and even coming up to my tenth viewing this year, I notice new things (I only just realised that Aaron Sorkin has a cameo in it). Watching a film countless times can, to many, gradually diminish its value, but I’ve found joy in re-watching my favourite film knowing that a baseless, random tradition facilitated it being just that: my favourite film.