The Criterion Mobile Closet at TIFF was awesome

Some of my favourite videos to watch are from The Criterion Channel’s Closet Picks series. As an avid moviegoer, there’s something so enlightening in hearing what inspires some of my favourite directors and actors, like Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve and Andrew Garfield.

Naturally, then, I jumped at the chance to visit the Criterion Mobile Closet, a travelling version of the iconic set for members of the public. In it, you can pick your own favourite movies and talk about why you love them, just like so many celebrities have done. And this year, for the big TIFF 50th anniversary, the Closet has made its first stop outside of the U.S. in Toronto. I just knew I couldn’t miss it.

And honestly? It was a bit surreal stepping in. While it’s a seemingly unassuming closet with just a few shelves carrying various movies, it’s basically heaven for any film buff. Seeing so many decades of masterwork films all around you is rather overwhelming. Of course, Criterion Collection doesn’t have every movie (the lack of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and any Studio Ghibli film especially hurts), but there’s a great variety overall.

For what it’s worth, my picks — after stressing about and overthinking it for far too long — were:

• High and Low (Akira Kurosawa)
• Videodrome (Canada’s own David Cronenberg)
• Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai)
• Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
• Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau and Alan Mak)
• Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-Ho)

(Since I’m the gaming editor and resident Final Fantasy stan, I naturally shouted out Final Fantasy VIII‘s “Eyes On Me” theme song when talking about Faye Wong in Chungking Express.)

Of course, you’re on the clock in the closet (you get three minutes to record your video), so you should go in knowing what to pick. (I’d suggest checking out the Criterion site for a full list with tons of useful filters, including genre, decade, director and country.) That way, you can name the films to the Criterion staff to help you quickly grab them, giving you more time to shoot the actual video.

Expect long lineups.

You’re also encouraged to bring up to four friends with you, so you could even each pick one for your own eclectic assortment of films. (I shared my slot with The Globe and Mail film critic Barry Hertz, so we took turns shooting.) You also get a commemorative Polaroid to keep and, while supplies last, a Criterion tote bag and printed pocket guide to the Criterion Collection. Visitors also get a special 40 per cent discount on up to three movies of their choice in celebration of Criterion’s 40th anniversary.

Of course, a lot of people are going to be checking out the Closet throughout TIFF, so you’ll want to line up early. While the first day of the TIFF Closet has passed, you still have Friday, September 5, Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7 to visit. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, and you can start lining up at 9:30 a.m. Be advised, though, that the lines will likely be quite long with people hanging around even before 9:30 a.m. so they can start queuing right away.

But honestly, if you’re a big movie fan and have some friends who want to tag along, I can’t recommend visiting the Closet enough. More info is available in this FAQ.