The TIFF Lowdown: Matthew Rankin’s second feature is a lovingly detailed, charmingly impossible story of a Canada where Persian and French are the two official languages, and loneliness is the common currency.
Winner of the inaugural Directors’ Fortnight audience award at Cannes this year, Matthew Rankin’s follow-up to his eccentric, surreal The Twentieth Century (TIFF ’19) is a gentle sort of comedy, settling us down in a reimagined Canada where Persian and French are the two official languages… and loneliness is the common currency.
In Winnipeg, children set themselves on eccentric quests — or dress like Groucho Marx — to flummox the adults around them, occasionally disrupting a tour group led by the flustered Massoud (Pirouz Nemati) as he does his best to explain the city’s curious landmarks.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, government wonk Matthew (played by Rankin himself) quits a job he hates and catches the first bus home to Manitoba to see his mother, only to find his family is not what he thought it was.
Reaction: In the first few minutes, UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE becomes an instant Canadian classic with a completely original concept taken to great heights, which to me is no surprise as filmmaker Matthew Rankin made me an instant fan with his movie THE TWENTIETH CENTURY at TIFF 2019 along with his National Film Board of Canada short THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT. Here, he takes great risks by changing the language and culture in Winnipeg. If you live or have visited Winnipeg this movie is absolutely for you, but UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE is a visual joke-lover’s delight with a cast of colourful characters of all different backgrounds and voices, along with a treasure trove of visual references along the lines of Roy Andersson’s work. Even a translated Tim Horton’s sign is made even funnier with the subtitles on screen!
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE is another gem from one of the best Canadian filmmakers working today. This is Canada’s official submission for the Oscars and I can’t think of a better movie to represent as it shows an acclaimed and immensely talented filmmaker at the top of his game. Don’t miss it on the big screen when it comes to your city.
Thanks to TIFF Media for assistance with this reaction article. This is one of the many movies playing at TIFF this year. For more information, point your browser to www.tiff.net!
