DIRECTOR
Matthew Rankin
The 20th Century

STARS
Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Rojina Esmaeili and Saba Vahedyousefi

I passed on seeing Universal Language during its showing at the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) in favour of numerous other films that appealed more and due to its very arthouse and ambiguous appearance. However, Universal Language has been making strong impressions over time, both locally and globally, claiming the Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes and taking out the Bright Horizons Award at last year’s MIFF.

It was therefore an easy decision to give Universal Language the benefit of my doubt and view it when offered a screener link. Before it was even over, I wished I had remained true to my original decision! Now, in saying that, by no means does that mean Universal Language is a bad film. It truly is not. In fact, it’s rather good! So, why on Earth would I wish I never saw a movie that I claim is a good one!?

Universal Language is very, very much an acquired taste, which is clearly not aligned to my own, and probably one of the more esoteric film’s I can recall seeing. Described by actor, co-writer and director Matthew Rankin as an “autobiographical hallucination” where events of the story are all drawn from his family history, Universal Language is set in an alternate reality where Persian co-exists with French to be the dominant language of Canada, rather than English. It weaves a few different stories that somehow connect to one another. Sibling school pupils Nazgol and Negin find a sum of money embedded in ice and work to find a way to get to it. Massoud is a tour guide taking a group of tourists throughout Winnipeg in the middle of a freezing winter, with limited attractions to showcase. And Matthew (played by director Matthew Rankin) resigns from his Montreal job with the government and makes his way to visit his mother.

I must admit the added knowledge of where this bizarre film’s source material is derived does contribute some further curiosity to proceedings. But being able to form any purpose from any of it, identify a holistic story trajectory and their less obvious connections, connect to any characters and appreciate enough of its harmless albeit absurdist humour is a challenge I could never truly accept or embrace. It reminded me a little of Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven and it visually faintly made me think of any Wes Anderson film. Even though I couldn’t appreciate enough of its humour, there are moments throughout where its sheer absurdism strikes a chord and generates amusement. Whether it be a condescending teacher’s choice of punishment for his class, an entire conversation that takes place at the government facility and its background sound or the fetish for turkey’s (g-rated fetish – this is a rare G rated film!), there is proof to be found of imagination and originality that Universal Language is completely stacked with. Will enough of it work for you is the question?

Universal Language is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from May 22nd, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Wonderfilm for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

LIKE on Facebook – @moviedoc13 / Follow on Instagram – moviedoc_melbourne