Universal Language
There are films critics adore that leave the general public cold. A quick glance at the Rotten Tomatoes listing for Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language, reveals a 96% approval rating from the reviewers, and no score at all from the public, who have yet to respond in sufficient numbers. That lack of response tells us something vital about this film, which was Canada’s official entry for Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards. If audiences hated the movie, they would be quick to register their disapproval, but instead it seems to have left them in limbo.
Even fans of Luis Buñuel or Wes Anderson will find Universal Language a very peculiar experience. There is the same deadpan, surreal humour one finds with these directors, but the entire narrative unfolds like one interminable gag in search of a punchline. It’s reminiscent of Jacques Tati’s methodical brand of comedy, which has always had an enthusiastic following, even though it’s barely funny.
The bulk of the film is set in a fictionalised Winnipeg, in which everyone speaks Farsi and most of the street signs are in Persian calligraphy. If Canada is widely accused of being boring, Rankin portrays Winnipeg in such a manner that it seems transcendentally boring. Most of the buildings we see are mere boxes made from new bricks. One district is referred to as “beige”, one as “brown”, another as “grey”, but they are all bricks. Shots are framed with Wes Anderson-style symmetry, accentuating the utilitarian blandness of the streets.