What do you get when you mix a Canadian winter with a hookah bar? I dunno, either, but the result sure was fun. Among the sillier and more refreshing delights of 2024 was Universal Language, a fairly plot-free romp taking place in the dead of winter in either Canada or Iran; the film hasn’t quite decided (which is part of the fun).
It’s winter. Snow. Ice. Cold. Winter. Winter as we know it in North America, that is. Winnipeg winter. Winnipeg is a destination in this film, which probably takes place in Canada, although all the signs are written in English and Persian, and the language of the film is Persian, and the trappings of the milieu definitely seem … Persian. There’s a Tim Horton’s *Tea Bar*.
That should be enough to weed out anybody who doesn’t need to see this film. If you have problems with either Canada or the Middle East, this picture is not your friend.
For the rest of us, this was an off-the-wall hoot. (Maybe not as big a hoot as Hundreds of Beavers, but similar in baffling amusement.) There are three main storylines going on here, although they all feel like additions to a bigger story that isn’t being told. One involves two Irani children. On a break from their insane French Immersion program, they find a 500 Rial bill stuck in the ice and claim it … except they haven’t the tools to get it out of the ice.
In the theater, I had no idea the value of 500 Rials. Google says about 1.2 cents, which makes this grand adventure all the funnier in my mind.
The second major story is about Massoud (co-writer/co-star Pirouz Nemati), a mediocre tour guide for a
group of nitwits. I’m not sure who would want to see “Winnipeg’s historic Beige District” in the dead of winter under any circumstances.
The other major story is about Canadian government employee (writer/director/star Matthew Rankin) quitting his government job in Quebec to go visit his mom in Winnipeg. Lest ye fear; there are plenty of Iranis who show up in his story, too.
Universal Language is the kind of film that chooses immersion to explanation. This tactic works much better in comedies than dramas as lack-of-exposition can serve as part of the farce. Still, it’s very easy to be confused by this film no matter where you pick it up. I think this is one of those films you either get into and absolutely love it … or walk out on before the opening credits. I was among the former.
Two Canadian kids in the snow
Found a bill trapped in ice down below
They tried to exhume
That money entombed
But sometimes you just have to let it go
Not Rated, 89 Minutes
Director: Matthew Rankin
Writer: Ila Firouzabadi, Pirouz Nemati, Matthew Rankin
Genre: A Farsi farce
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Odd people in need of an odd laugh
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “WTF is going on here?!”
