Universal Language

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2:08

Universal Language

Feb 2025

1h 29m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

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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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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Saffron Maeve

Sight & Sound

3d

A brilliantly bizarre comedy that imagines a Canada where the two official languages are Farsi and French.

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Stephen Romei

The Australian

May 23

3/5

This is an unconventional film that slowly drew me in. There’s a tenderness about it as the boundaries between the characters loosen.

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Jake Wilson

Sydney Morning Herald

May 22

2.5/5

...I can imagine in principle how it might be possible to find Universal Language a moving experience, even without being familiar with any of its reference points. But I'm bound to say it left me pretty cold.

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Calvin Law

The Asian Cut

Jul 31

3.5/5

That Rankin segues from all this enjoyable humour into something quite strangely moving as we delve further into his stories, is quite impressive.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Jul 2

3.5/4

... a bittersweet consideration of what it means to belong to a family, a city, a country.

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Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Jun 3

4/5

His [Rankin] movie comes with a hard core of disillusionment but also hope in humanity, and viewers in tune with his offbeat sensibilities will enjoy both the deadpan humor and the bold unconventional choices.

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LTK

Feb 19

Not what you will expect

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g j

Dec 12

It sent me to sleep at the 45 minute mark too. While it picks up in the final act, much of the film felt almost malciously unfunny.

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Nov 29

This has to be one of the worst movies i have ever seen in my entire life. Very unfunny, cold and not recommended. Unfortunately i can't give it 0 stars so its 0.5 . These comments giving it many stars/points have to be bots because if you actually see this movie, in no way is it enchanting, funny or warm. Very cold actually. I saw this movie for free but if i had to spend money on whatever this garbage is then i don't know.

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Fong Kok Hoong F

Jun 23

Three intertwining subplots of two girls attempting to claim a banknote frozen in ice, a tour guide ushering disinterested tourists to questionable places of interest and an autobiographical character returning home to visit his mother made up this oddball headscratcher but perhaps tongue-in-cheek for Persian and Canadian audiences in this Canadian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards that is set in an alternate reality of a Farsi-speaking Winnipeg with Iranian influences.

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Matthew R

Jun 8

This whole movie went completely over my head. I may not be a smart as i think i am. However, it had its moments and at times was humorous. So it wasn't terrible it was just too high brow for me.

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George T

May 29

Surreal, mesmerizing, touching, hilarious. Very Farsi and extremely Canadian.

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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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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
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Metafilms
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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