‘Universal Language’ Review: Matthew Rankin’s Wonderfully Absurdist Vision Is Mirthful and Melancholic

Cannes 2024: This audacious comedy is as delightfully funny as it is subtly reflective

universal-language
Cannes Film Festival

There is a good chance that “Universal Language,” the latest feature from writer, director and actor Matthew Rankin, will earn some well-intentioned if superficial comparisons to the work of Wes Anderson. The sharp playfulness of the tone, set in a pointedly surreal version of the Canadian cities of Winnipeg and Montreal where Fasrsi is now the dominant language, as well as the dynamic visual style certainly deserve to be held in such high esteem. 

However, to just reduce the film to such an easy point of comparison is to miss out on the full beautiful picture that is being given vibrant life here by Rankin alongside his co-writers Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi.

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