Logging the same film twice isn’t cheating — it’s the whole point of keeping a diary.
You are not the same viewer twice
There is a quiet guilt about rewatching — as if time only counts when it is spent on something new. But you bring a different self to a film at 22 and at 32, and it answers back differently.
A diary is the only place that change is visible. Two entries for the same title, years apart, are not a duplicate. They are a measurement.
The rewatch is where taste reveals itself
The things you return to say more about you than the things you finish once. Comfort rewatches, seasonal rewatches, and “I finally get it now” rewatches are taste in its purest form.
Logging them — with a fresh rating and a fresh note — turns a vague fondness into a record you can actually point to.
How to log a rewatch
Add a new entry rather than editing the old one. Keep the original rating intact and rate this viewing on its own terms.
Then read them side by side. The gap between past-you and present-you is the most interesting thing in your diary.