Universal Language

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2:08

Universal Language

In Theaters Fri Feb 14

1h 29m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

98%

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43 Reviews

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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.

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In Theaters Fri Feb 14

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Critics Consensus

Bridging two nations with a clever and surreal conceit, Universal Language is a culture clash comedy brimming with wisdom.

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Matthew Rankin

Director

Rojina Esmaeili

Actor

Danielle Fichaud

Actor

Sobhan Javadi

Actor

Saba Vahedyousefi

Nazgol

Pirouz Nemati

Massoud

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Rankin’s Winnipeg exists in one place and one place only: his wonderfully wry mind. It is a destination well worth the visit.

Jan 21, 2025

Full Review

Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

An off-kilter creation that feels like the wacko offspring of Aki Kaurismäki and Abbas Kiarostami’s cinemas.

Oct 9, 2024

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David Robb

Slant Magazine

Though juxtaposing Canada’s drabness and relative lack of heritage with Iran’s millennia of unbroken tradition brings out the former aspects particularly clearly, Universal Language is aiming beyond mere satire or culture-clash playfulness.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 8, 2024

Full Review

Jason Flatt

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Absolutely sensational... [Universal Language is] equal parts a warm hug from a home you’ve left behind and a cold stare from a place that has never known you at all.

Jan 21, 2025

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Peter Keough

Arts Fuse

Remarkably, this kaleidoscope of weirdness and seeming loose ends ties together in an astonishing conclusion.

Jan 17, 2025

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

Universal Language...explores humanity’s interdependence—how, despite the horrors of life, we are all connected—how cinema brings us all together in profound, unexpected ways. And he does so in such a fanciful, fantastical and delightful manner.

Rated: A

Dec 19, 2024

Full Review

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Universal Language: Trailer 1

2:08

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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.

Director: Matthew Rankin
Producer: Sylvain Corbeil
Screenwriter: Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Metafilms
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)