Universal Language is a wonderful surrealist film, and a great follow-up to Matthew Rankin’s directorial debut, The Twentieth Century. The first thing that will stand out to Canadians watching the film are the languages predominantly used, French and Persian, because the film mostly takes place in Winnipeg. Anyone who’s been to Winnipeg knows that, in reality, it is predominately English-speaking. The choice to use these languages, both spoken and the heavy use of Arabic script, helps create the suspended reality of the film, making Winnipeg feel both familiar and not familiar. I will also say, as someone who grew up in Toronto, where there are neighborhoods that are truly pockets where immigrants hold the cultures and traditions of their home countries – we call Toronto a melting pot, and do infuse a mix of many cultures, but there’s also a tapestry element. Universal Language isn’t about that concept, but I think the idea of making Winnipeg seem like a distant foreign land to anyone watching it was so that we could be more cognisant of the universal themes presented in the story.
The production design in the film was so fun, particularly the Kleenex Repository. The moment I saw the room, filled with boxes and boxes of open Kleenex boxes clearly designed for the film, I was in awe. It was a fairly simple design, probably decently budget-friendly, and yet, I laughed more at the absurdity and simplicity of it than I did at so many other productions that have used a lot more to try and achieve similar effects. It was a great example of a visual restatement of the tone established in the opening scene with all the fabulous child actors in their French class.
However, if there is one location I believe all Canadians will get a kick out of Universal Language’s take on, it’s the Tim Hortons. Because it’s Tim Horton’s like you’ve never seen it before. Like everything else in the film, it’s been infused with the idea of, what if it was halfway between Winnipeg and Tehran? After seeing this film, I will never be able to think of a double double the same way.
I want to talk about the turkey of it all… but I think that’s better experienced as unprepared as possible. Though for the squeamish I will reveal there is no on camera violence to any turkey or other animals.
I find that people often fear seeking experimental/surrealist-type films because they are afraid they will lack narrative. And while these films often subvert narrative conventions, I find more often than not, they still have a story they want to tell, they just often take more work. Universal Language actually has a very clear narrative, and stories that appear disconnected get nicely woven together as the film reaches its conclusion. Now, it’s not told linearly, and it doesn’t spoon-feed you that information, leaving it to you to put the timelines together, which is part of the enjoyment of the film when you realize the connections and throughlines – but that does mean you can’t be a passive viewer.
Universal Language premiered as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section of Cannes. However, for those not in Cannes, you may not have to worry if you’ll be able to see it after its festival circuit, as Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever (BFF) has already acquired the international sales rights with a distribution deal with Oscilloscope Laboratories for the U.S. rights and Maison4Tiers set to release it in Canada already in place.
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