In a primary school classroom in frigid Winnipeg, a boy is reprimanded by his teacher for coming to school dressed as Groucho Marx. Another student says a turkey stole his glasses. The teacher himself is late to class because his bus broke down. This seemingly random assortment of situations comes together in unexpected ways in Matthew Rankin’s film “Universal Language.”
Taking place over the course of a single day, “Universal Language” is visually stuck in the depths of a Canadian winter. The characters are bundled, and snow blankets the ground — to the point where just looking at the ice induces a chill only comparable to watching “Fargo.” And yet there is an undeniable warmth to this story that not only makes the frosty air fade away, but makes viewers invested immediately.
In the film’s opening scene, after Monsieur Bilodeau (Mani Soleymanlou) arrives late to the French class he teaches, trouble begins when Omid (Sobhan Javadi) is tardy. He’s carrying a note from his father stating that an incident involving a turkey resulted in Omid losing his — very necessary — glasses. A fit of hilarious rage overtakes Monsieur Bilodeau, and he expels all of his students until Omid returns to class with glasses. The nearly hour and a half that ensues after this sequence is a series of scenes told out of sequence and often ambiguously connected together, but ultimately in service of this goal: to get Omid his glasses.
Distilled, “Universal Language” is a triptych — meaning, a narrative (or painting, more commonly) divided into three interrelated parts. While these parts emerge slowly, out of order and in a manner that does not immediately make them clearly connected, when the different storylines and details do converge, it’s euphoric. Films such as this one, that feature amusingly convoluted storylines with a wide but distinct cast of characters, have a lot riding on their shoulders. Audiences expect the pieces of the puzzle that the film lays out to perfectly click together. And in “Universal Language,” they do.
Beyond the endearing absurdity of this film, many elements of it are actually close to actor, writer and director Matthew Rankin’s heart. As he describes in his interview with himself, Rankin used to be obsessed with Groucho Marx as a child and would frequently dress up as the comedic actor, inspiring him to create a young character in this film who does the same. When Negin (Rojina Esmaeili) and Nazgol (Saba Vahedyousefi) attempt to extract cash from the frozen icy ground, Rankin drew upon memories his grandmother shared, of when she and her brother found cash stuck in the frozen sidewalk. He said the story “comes from my meaningless life,” including his own family history, dreams he has had after his parents died, and his time in Iran.
Rankin developed a deep love for Persian cinema in his childhood, and went to Iran to study filmmaking with the greats, such as Jafar Panahi and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. While this dream did not come to fruition, he met people with whom he’s now cultivated years-long friendships. This history played an immense role in the making of “Universal Language.”
With the exception of sparse English and some Québécois French, the vast majority of “Universal Language” is spoken in Farsi. Even the buildings and street signs are in Farsi. The version of Winnipeg that Rankin creates for his film revolves entirely around the language and culture, to the point where a Tim Hortons (that resembles a traditional tea house on the inside) features Toronto Maple Leafs posters, all in Farsi. First aiming to tell the story “in the style of Iranian meta-realism,” Rankin soon found (with the help of his collaborators Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi) that the project “found its poetic identity” when told in Farsi with a primarily Iranian cast.
Through the different dialects, characters, storylines and conflicts, the true universal language that emerges in this film is compassion. When Negin and Nazgol enlist Massoud (Pirouz Nemati) to break the money out of the ice, Negin explains that she’ll ask around for an ax, because “people like to help each other out.” When Matthew (Matthew Rankin) returns to his childhood house to find other people living in it, they welcome him inside, because “It’s still your home, agha.” Despite comedic outbursts from teachers and moments of silliness such as an abandoned briefcase being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, “Universal Language” is rife with moments of warmth.
Rankin described his film as “inspired by a very great longing for wider human connections; for deeper notions of family, belonging and solidarity than what our increasingly mean and miserly age would assign to us.” This notion is clear from the beginning, and is exactly what elevates “Universal Language” beyond the confines of a typical absurdist comedy. Both the film and its characters are simply delightful, and even when the story takes a more heart-wrenching turn towards the end, it still comes back around, making good on the promise it makes in its first few minutes.
The absurdity, language barrier and lack of a chronological through line of “Universal Language” all are risks when it comes to American audiences. But if belief can be suspended for just five minutes, the genuine heart at the core of this film can win almost anyone over. Although there has been no announcement yet of a release in Los Angeles, Canada has chosen “Universal Language” as its official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, and it will open in select theaters in Brooklyn, Winnipeg and Tehran later this month.