From filmmaker Matthew Rankin, the surreal absurdist comedy-drama film ‘Universal Language’. is set in a place between Tehran and Winnipeg, telling three unrelated stories that somehow interconects in the film.

‘Universal Language’ had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival under the Directors’ Fortnight section where it won the Audience Award. The film is scheduled to have its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

Starring in the independent film are Matthew Rankin along with Pirouz Nemati, Rojina Esmaeili, Danielle Fichaud, and Sobhan Javadi.

Release Date

Directed by Matthew Rankin, ‘Universal Language’ opens in US theaters on February 1, 2025.

Synopsis

In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave with each other in surprising and mysterious ways.

Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly-befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out upon an enigmatic journey to visit his mother.

Space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.

“I encourage people to think of it as cinematic Venn diagramme between Winnipeg, Tehran and Montréal. It’s like a confluence of rivers. Or a Hawaiian pizza. It’s a crazy duck-billed platypus of a movie: one part lonesome Québécois cinéma gris, one part surreal Winnipeg puzzle film, one part Kanoon-style Iranian poetic realism, all three of which reflect and refract through the prism of each other,” said director Matthew Rankin about the film.

Reviews

David Ehrlich in an IndieWire review praised the film, giving it a score of B+, writing, “Don’t be fooled by all of the analog throwback charm: This is a bittersweet lament for an interconnected age where people have every opportunity to appreciate what they have in common, but lack the vision needed in order to see it clearly.”

Bilge Ebiri in a Vulture review stated that ‘Universal Language’ is the best film at this year’s Cannes, writing, “Universal Language is a magnificent film, one that feels warm and familiar even as we realize just how startlingly original it is.”

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for ‘Universal Language’.