All the videos in the world — all the TikToks and Instagram Reels you could possibly consume — can’t convey one underrated aspect of visiting the Criterion Mobile Closet. It smells really, really good.
At least, that was my first reaction upon entering the well-stocked van at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this week. Freshly packed and sealed DVDs and Blu-rays, crisp plastic, and disarmingly well-vacuumed carpet, stepping into the van is an organized cinephile’s dream. Everything is so neat and tidy, so easy to find, just at your fingertips.
If Criterion makes it, it’s in the van. That includes the newest titles, located down and to the right, where I spent the majority of my visit to the mobile closet. IndieWire has visited the van with regularity since it first set out: at NYFF after a visit to “Screen Talk” by Criterion’s own Peter Becker, at SXSW, even at home in LA. This was my first time.
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For its first foray into international space, the van — designed to mimic the actual Criterion Closet at the boutique imprint’s NYC office — arrived at this year’s TIFF for a four-day stay in an excellent location. Just across the street from the TIFF Bell Lightbox theater, the van posted up on King Street, which is closed to traffic during the first days of the fest, all the better to encourage strolling and mingling.
It was hard to miss not just the van, but the sprawling line outside of it, which stretched down the street and doubled back on itself. During its four-day stay at the festival, the mobile closet saw an estimated 400 and 500 guests a day; and during the weekend alone, over 1,000 people stepped through the van, which Criterion noted is a new record for the mobile closet. Criterion brass told IndieWire that, when things got really busy, they’d occasionally stack up visitors, letting people in three or four at a time.
But no problem there, as even people who didn’t enter the line knowing each other walked away as friends (and some people who enter the line already familiar exited the van on a new level: a couple got engaged in the van at SXSW 2025). What better place to bond with fellow film fans than at the Criterion Mobile Closet?
And what does an hours-long wait in the line get you? A complimentary tote bag, a guide to the Collection, and a Polaroid souvenir of your selections. Buys are limited to three discs each, but with a not-too-shabby 40 percent off the entire bill. The van is stocked with more than 1,700 films, including every in-print edition from the Criterion Collection, Eclipse, and Janus Contemporary lines.
Real talk: As a member of the press, I was granted an early, assigned slot on Sunday morning. Take perks when you can get them! The rest of my process was typical: you enter the van, go through a darling little curtain, and step into (fresh-smelling) movie magic. Even if you’ve seen other closet videos, it’s pretty thrilling to take it in for yourself, and the interior itself is spacious, orderly, and more than a bit intimidating. If you’d like to record your visit, a handy phone mount is available for your use, and Criterion also films each visit on their own to potentially use in other videos and marketing materials.
My first and best recommendation: Come with a plan. I arrived with my three picks outlined, 4K upgrades for some perennial favorites. All three are fairly new (you don’t need to come with spine numbers memorized, the incredibly knowledgable van staff will direct you to any and all discs you’re looking for), which sent me to the corner containing the most recent additions. Having both my plan and a specific area to focus on helped, there’s just so much to look at.
The picks in question: William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer” (all-time best bridge-crossing on film ever, even if you probably need to put your head between your knees while watching it), Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” (a truly incredible entry into dumb guy cinema), and Paul Brickman’s “Risky Business” (the kind of movie a latchkey kid like me watched way too often at too young of an age, now with even better picture and sound). It went way too fast and it was way too fun.
My only regret? I should have stood in the line, too.
The next stop for the van has not yet been announced, but given that this time last year, it was prepping to roll into the New York Film Festival, we’d keep our eyes peeled for an NYC return, and fast. Never been to the closet before? Take a gander at some videos of our favorite stars during their own visits as they share their picks.
