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89m
Universal Language
Synopsis
Space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.
Matthew Rankin’s absurdist triptych UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE was the winner of major awards at Cannes, Toronto, and Melbourne Film Festivals!
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. Two grade-schoolers find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, tour guide Massoud (Pirouz Nemati) leads a group of increasingly befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, Matthew (played by director Matthew Rankin) quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out upon an enigmatic journey to visit his mother. As each of these stories unfold, space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
2024 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL | Official Selection: Directors' Fortnight
2024 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | Winner: Best Canadian Discovery Award
2024 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | Winner: Bright Horizons Award
Rating
G
Length
89m
Genre
New Release
Reviews
A magnificent film, one that feels warm and familiar even as we realize just how startlingly original it is.
★★★★ As disorienting as it is delightful.
Deeply weird, delightfully strange, inspiringly imaginative and genuinely heartfelt.
One of the most exciting directors working today, with his unique visual style and penchant for challenging narrative conventions, indicating a bright future as a filmmaker… A tremendously captivating comedy
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