Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century) wraps his latest feature, Universal Language, in his admiration for fellow auteur Guy Maddin.  Described in the press notes as an “autobiographical fever dream”, and much like Maddin’s My Winnipeg, Universal Language pitches an absurdist vision of Winnipeg from different embellished perspectives – some of these stories work better than others.

Universal Language peaks early on with a fine-tuned comedy featuring eccentric gradeschoolers, their disappointed French teacher (Mani Soleymanlou), and money that’s been frozen within Winnipeg’s barren scenery.  A class is reprimanded after young Omid (Sobhan Javadi) loses his glasses to a turkey, and two peers (Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi) wish to help Omid by using the unobtainable banknote to purchase new glasses.  This story is ideal framework for Universal Language. Similar to last year’s brilliant summertime odyssey Riddle of Fire, this plot allows simple motivations to transport these young actors on their own quest.  With snowcapped buildings looking alike, Winnipeg is depicted as a maze that invites other, weirder folks to either assist these kids or create challenges for them.  And sometimes, people only show up to make us (and the kids) question reality.  Rankin’s style shows precision in staging and cinematography, as well as a unique and hilarious sense of humour that confront wild images with deadpan delivery.

However, and possibly suggesting that Universal Language may have been a better short film than a feature, Rankin gets carried away with other stories that eventually intersect with each other, including a frank guide (Pirouz Nemati) giving a bizarre tour around Winnipeg and Rankin playing a man having a pseudo-existential crisis as he travels to Winnipeg to be with family.  These tangents, while they have funny and heartfelt moments, either suffer from undercooked development (Nemati’s performance) or bland acting (Rankin’s self-serving performance).  To my understanding, Universal Language is supposed to pay tribute to Iranian cinema.  While the results may be satisfying to Rankin, movie goers who are not well-versed (like myself) will feel left out. Having a filmmaker also subtly patronize the audience by accusing them of not being cultured enough isn’t a great feeling either.

Universal Language is still worth seeking out, however; if only to support the budding careers of some terrifically sharp young actors. Please, won’t somebody think of the children.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie