Universal Language (2024 film)
| Universal Language | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Promotional release poster | |
| French | Une langue universelle |
| Persian | آواز بوقلمون |
| Directed by | Matthew Rankin |
| Written by | Ila Firouzabadi Pirouz Nemati Matthew Rankin |
| Produced by | Sylvain Corbeil |
| Starring | Rojina Esmaeili Saba Vahedyousefi Sobhan Javadi Pirouz Nemati Mani Soleymanlou Danielle Fichaud |
| Cinematography | Isabelle Stachtchenko |
| Edited by | Xi Feng |
| Music by | Amir Amiri Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux |
Production company | Metafilms |
| Distributed by | Maison 4:3 |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | French Persian |
Universal Language (French: Une langue universelle, Persian: آواز بوقلمون) is a 2024 Canadian absurdist comedy-drama film, co-written and directed by Matthew Rankin.[1] It was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[2]
Plot
[edit]Described as a "surreal comedy of disorientation" set "somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg", the film blends the seemingly unrelated stories of Negin and Nazgol, who find money frozen in ice and try to claim it; Massoud, a tour guide in Winnipeg who is leading a confused and disoriented tour group; and Matthew (Rankin), who quits his unfulfilling job with the provincial government of Quebec and travels home to Winnipeg to visit his mother.[3]
Cast
[edit]- Rojina Esmaeili
- Saba Vahedyousefi
- Sobhan Javadi
- Pirouz Nemati
- Mani Soleymanlou
- Danielle Fichaud
Release
[edit]The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, on May 18, 2024.[4] and its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[7]
Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily wrote that the film "is doggedly eccentric, something that’s mirrored in its exaggerated aesthetic. There’s a pink cowboy-hatted singing turkey-shop worker; a man wandering around wearing a lit Christmas tree over his body; an absurdist bingo hall where men and women are interchangeable. Inside a pharmacy, all the labels are a generic Adam Stockhausen tribute — only they’re beige. There’s also a ‘Kleenex repository’ and reference made to a ‘Winnipeg Earmuff Authority’. Sad-eyed characters say things like: “My son choked to death in a marshmallow-eating contest,” or “she was flattened in a steamrolling accident”. You could call it whimsical. Absurdist. Contrived. Or an unexpectedly unusual concept album that doesn’t quite come off but was worth the effort. And you would be correct every time."[8]
Writing for IndieWire, David Ehrlich noted that the film "is first and foremost a testament to the shared artifice of all filmic storytelling, and to the singular realities it’s able to bring alive in turn."[9]
In Vulture, Bilge Ebiri called the film the best he had seen at Cannes and "a magnificent film, one that feels warm and familiar even as we realize just how startlingly original it is."[10]
Awards
[edit]At Cannes, the film won the Directors Fortnight program's first Audience Award.[11]
The film won the top prize at the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival, the Bright Horizons Award.[12]
The film has been selected as Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[13]
The film was longlisted for the 2024 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award.[14]
See also
[edit]- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
[edit]- ^ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Matthew Rankin comedy to debut in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes". Playback, April 16, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (August 27, 2024). "Matthew Rankin's 'Universal Language' Named As Canada's Oscar Entry For 2025". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Melanie Goodfellow, "Best Friend Forever Boards Sales On Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Title ‘Universal Language’; Oscilloscope Takes U.S. Rights". Deadline Hollywood, April 16, 2024.
- ^ Rebecca Leffler, "Cannes 2024 Directors’ Fortnight line-up unveiled". Screen Daily, April 16, 2024.
- ^ Jeremy Kay, "Toronto film festival unveils 43 titles in Centrepiece programme". Screen Daily, August 6, 2024.
- ^ "Universal Language". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Universal Language". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Fionnuala Halligan, "‘Universal Language’: Cannes Review". Screen Daily, May 18, 2024.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (2024-05-24). "'Universal Language' Review: Guy Maddin Meets Abbas Kiarostami in a Deadpan Canadian Fable". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Ebiri, Bilge (2024-05-23). "The Best Movie at Cannes This Year Is an Oddball Canadian Comedy". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Ben Dalton, "Matthew Rankin’s Persian, French-language drama ‘Universal Language’ wins inaugural Cannes Directors’ Fortnight audience award". Screen Daily, May 23, 2024.
- ^ Sarah Downs, "2024 MIFF Awards Winners Announced". Variety, August 26, 2024.
- ^ Jamie Casemore, "Rankin’s Universal Language is Canada’s pick for 97th Oscars". Playback, August 27, 2024.
- ^ Connie Thiessen, "DGC unveils Discovery Award long list". Broadcast Dialogue, September 12, 2024.
External links
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