Peter Sarsgaard's Closet Picks 

He has a very mesmerizing, calming voice! Great episode!

Was pretty sure he just called out his wife for taking a shit during Wanda. But then put 2 and 2 together, Maggie is amazing in The Deuce. One of my favorite shows lately

I watched Safe by Todd Haynes because Gaspar Noé recommended it here and I have to say, that movie is excellent and incredibly underlooked and underrated.

He is such a strong actor. I loved his performance in "Shattered Glass" as the magazine editor who discovers his most popular author is a fraud.

I want this dude to have a conversation with John Malkovich.

It's really weird seeing just how much of a nice and soft-spoken guy he is considering the amount of loud or violent assholes he's played throughout his career

0:00 - *LA STRADA* _dir. Federico Fellini_ (1954) 0:12 - *THE NIGHT PORTER* _dir. Liliana Cavani_ (1974) 1:06 - *WANDA* _dir. Barbara Loden_ (1970) 1:51 - *TRUE STORIES* _dir. David Byrne_ (1986) 2:26 - *EATING RAOUL* _dir. Paul Bartel_ (1982) 3:12 - *SAFE* _dir. Todd Haynes_ (1995) 4:04 - *BREAKING THE WAVES* _dir. Lars von Trier_ (1996)

can we PLEASE get paul thomas anderson in the closet? he would make love with the discs for 20-30 hours

He's really got a John Malkovich quality to him. Also anyone who sings True Stories' praise is good in my book 0:12 BURGER KING FOOT LETTUCE

I like him! He's so chill, sincere, and unpretentious!

I could listen to Peter talk for hours! That voice! :)

A closer video - FINALLY with a good quality sound and color grading! Just wow, Criterion, you nailed it

The Night Porter really affected me a lot as well, happy to own that one now. I'll never understand people who think it should be banned.

Breaking The Waves is such a beautiful and heartbreaking movie, in so many ways. It’s in LVT’s top 3 best in my opinion.

One more! One more! Love the enthusiasm.

Great choices, Peter S. “Safe” is the best movie ever made about the awful, preventable consequences of hysteria. I published a paper about the film in a psychoanalytic journal. Todd Haynes is one of a kind brilliant, interesting

True Stories is one of the most delightful, colorful and musically fantastic films ever. John Goodman such a sweet bear!

I want to see tilda Swinton do one of these

This man is such a gentle, sexy, clever, peaceful guy I ever saw. It's hard no to stop and pay some attetion to him whenever he opens his mouth. Absolutely Lovely!

Love him, one of my favourite character actors. Particularly pleased to see his love for Safe, Eating Raoul, La Strada and Safe.

We need more actors and various collaborators like Cinematographer, Producer and such. Plus we need more Closet pick videos! I absolutely love people talking about their favorite movies.

Just watched Breaking the Waves last night actually. Great movie.

The Night Porter was a phenomenal film, IMO. It got massacred by the critics when it was released, but it shook me to the core.

David Lynch should've all ready been invited a long time ago. Such a genius and chatter. The perfect blend for this videos.

Been in a bromance with Peter since Boys Don't Cry. What a phenomenal talent. He even made the Green Lantern watchable.

Breaking the waves! So brilliant for so many reasons!

Dear Mr. Sarsgaard, I feel I owe you an appreciative thank you. Breaking the Waves was a film I missed upon release, knew very little of then and subsequently, forgot. (Mea maxima culpa) The manner in which you described the film intrigued me. “When she prays, that’s exactly how I pray.”, was the point at which this film went from ‘should see’ to ‘must see’.

That is one attractive man. Also.. can also highly recommend Safe (1995) - he's exactly right about it. It's got a real Kubrick/Lynch feel about it.

Looks like a guy who can keep his head during tense situations

I will absolutely see a remake of Eating Raoul starring Peter. I will also watch a sequel to Garden State that tells the story of a middle-aged card-collecting grave-digger seeking meaning after the death of his mother.

Hes very intense, seems like the closet itself made him very emotional. Very cool

I love 'Breaking the waves'. Felt completely wrecked by the end of it, but what a film.

I'm just sat here eating Gypsy Cream biscuits and bingeing upon these little closet vignettes. It's like I'm going shopping for movied with the eggheads of film buffery as well as the celebrated creatives. Accumulatively there are certain titles which seem to be 'the ones'....rather disconcertingly though, it seems like Salo is wayyyy too popular!! Halliwell's dismissal of it as emetic in his film guide feels like a long long time ago. :)

'Experimenter' is one of my very favorite movies ! Congratulations

Great choices. Love La Strada. Crazy to think he’s almost 50!

A priest showed him Night Porter?

Great picks. Eating Raoul has got to be the funniest movie I've ever seen. The dialogue and one-liners are hysterical and delivered with such tongue in cheek in the most absurd situations. Brilliant!

One of the best things about Criterion closet videos is that we’re able to share filmmakers’ stories and taste as well as be surprised by their choices. I honestly thought Peter Saarsgard would select meh movies, but Wanda, The Night Porter and Eating Raoul?! My concept on him was definitely rised up.

Black Mass is not a great movie, but his performance in it is so inspired it caught my attention. He made you believe in every ounce of fear he was projecting. He's done so much, but that's what I really cling on to as a great performance of his. That and The Salton Sea (which I'll vouch for as underrated), as Val Kilmer's sidekick.

True Stories! Loved that movie--haven't thought of it for a long time.

wow peter. well said! exactly what i felt in breaking the waves!

Impressive visuals and more than passable audio?? Are we sure this is a Criterion Closet episode?

he's got some awesome picks. i have a few of those films. i've seen most of them ("wanda" is the only film that i haven't seen). now get maggie to be on that and then jake and then all 3.

I've got some questions for Father Garrarelli

Jesus Christ, it’s Colson.

4:20 “This movie” unwittingly holds up back of DVD. Haha I think that’s the Closet Series in a nutshell

Great picks. Now I have to take out a bank loan to pick some of these up!!!

Nice to see some love for Lars. Great picks and stories.

Loved him in "Orphan" 4:00 damn right Saarsgard

A lot of people hate The Night Porter, but I love it! Great pick.

Great segment, didn't realize he was such a cool dude. Looking good too, aging well, keep it up.

Am I childish for laughing at Maggie “doing The Deuce?”

I need to watch Wanda! It’s been on my list, it seems like my kind of movie.

I would love to go into that room. I really want My Dinner With Andre to get a Blu-ray

I am glad you have good memories of your Priest. That is unusual today. I am glad that the films he showed you blew you away and he did not blow you away

That's an awesome shirt he’s rockin!

La Strada is my 2nd favorite movie after 2001 ASO. Such a great film! Masterpiece.....

Love this guy. Experimenter!

I got the Brothers of St. Patrick teachers. They made sure we studied great literature, especially the Irish authors, as you can imagine.

The video quality is getting better

Love this guy's voice.

Eating Raoul omg, its been so long since I've seen it, I've got to see it again. I think it has some of the people, that John Waters used alot. GREAT MOVIE !

When SNL was still funny, Sarsgaard hosted and they did a bit where he is approached by pirates that just keep repeating his name. Obvious but hilarious!

Safe is a very underrated classic!

Criterion collection should eventually release American Movie. I love that documentary!

He's sooooo wonderful

Tell Peter I'm still waiting for the refund on my Peter Sarsgaard's SARS Guards.

you should put links to the recs in the description

Wanda? Never heard of this... Maybe I give it a try, thanks for the tip.

WANDA was directed by Barbara Loden who was married Elia Kazan.

True Stories! Made me happy.

would LOVE to see Céline Sciamma, Almodovar and PTA at some point

Need Shattered Glass Criterion Blu!

You can see how everyone likes this guy and wants to work with him.

Safe and Breaking the Waves, what more could you want?

One of the lucky few who are sexier in their middle years. The beard and close cut with a subtle tan look great. The commentary was also good.

"ITS INDEFENSIBLE! don't you know that?" Great actor.

Love Breaking the Waves.

He reminds me of SNL's 2004 pirate convention spoof that SARSGAARDed him forever.

This may be the best one!

when I watch these vids I want to immediately go and watch the most mainstream movies ever made

Criterion may be using these as "auditions" to see whom they are going to interview in their special features. As many Criterion fans know, one of Criterion discs' selling points is the well-made featurettes and commentaries on the discs. Whenever you see "director-approved" or whoever-approved editions, it is because Criterion hired that filmmaker to participate in the making of the disc and contribute to interviews, commentaries, supplements, etc. If the filmmaker doesn't contribute = no disc for you! That's why Woody Allen's films will never be in Criterion in a million years. David Lynch used to be against special features too, and if he were still the same way, his films wouldn't be on Criterion discs either.

Breaking the Waves! Nice.

I just rewatched Robot and Frank for the 10th time. Sublime movie.

Everything he says about Safe is spot on.

This man is so fucking talented and that should be brought up much more.

He was great in "the Skeleton Key".

First noticed him in Garden State with/from Zach Braff and with Natalie Portman.

You lovely, weird man.

"He's just a fast food knight"

Does anyone know the brand of shirt he’s wearing. I can’t make out, what the little black label says.

I’ve seen (and liked) all the movies he picked. I need to get out more.

Garden State needs a Criterion release

that shirt be bangin

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤La Strada

Glad to see he got the part in the Michael Stipe biopic.

It would be amazing to have someone like Michael Bay here, and then Herzog...just to keep things interesting.

La Strada right out the gate! I'm jelly.

He's beautiful.

Does he not have a blu-ray player?