UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE: 3 ½ STARS. “dovetails together in unexpected ways.”
SYNOPSIS: “Universal Language,” a new surreal comedy now playing in theatres, mixes and matches three stories of human connection set within Winnipeg’s Iranian community. Two young girls try to retrieve money frozen in ice to buy glasses for a classmate, a tour guide explores Winnipeg’s most absurd landmarks and a civil servant moves from Quebec to Winnipeg to tend to his ailing mother.
CAST: Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Sobhan Javadi, Pirouz Nemati, Mani Soleymanlou, Danielle Fichaud. Directed by Matthew Rankin.
REVIEW: Touted as a “surreal comedy of disorientation” set “somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg,” “Universal Language” takes place in Canada, but in director Matthew Rankin’s idiosyncratic vision French and Farsi are the official languages.
The three, seemingly unrelated stories, form a narrative tryptic about how fate, luck and chance are key components to creating connection between people. While episodic in nature, it dovetails together in unexpected ways by the time the end credits roll, completing the sense of togetherness that lies at the film’s soul.
”Universal Language” is whimsical, both visually and thematically, but Rankin, while playful, takes his ideas seriously. The sense of belonging infused into the trio of tales is heartfelt, but never maudlin. It can be surreal (Why so many turkeys?) but it’s never saccharine. Instead it’s a nuanced look at the value people bring to communities, and how humanity burns bright, even in chilly Winnipeg winters.
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