Universal Language 2024

Reviews (56)

1. A

   Amanda the Jedi 8 月 23, 2026

   So subtly hilarious and moving Too bad Winnipeg isn’t real

   791
2. M

   Maia 8 月 23, 2026

   If only Winnipeg was actually like that… Universal Language is a breathtakingly gorgeous film – transforming Winnipeg’s scant landscape and brutalist architecture into something you refuse to take your eyes off of. Matthew Rankin has brought a sense of entertainment to Canadian cinema that our industry is desperately lacking. He is uninhibited in his worldbuilding – taking elements of Winnipeggian isolation, Quebecois absurdity, Canada’s Iranian diaspora, and smashing them together to transport his viewers into a universe where Canadian anglo culture is conspicuously, and gratefully, missing; Louis Riel is commemorated on our dollar (as he should); and turkeys hold all the cultural currency (as they should). What results is a thought experiment so bizarre and fun, that it sometimes gets lost in its own eccentricities. You may not understand it at all times, but Universal Language exudes a Canadian jouissance one could seldom fathom in this impossibly vast, cold nation.

   462 3
3. O

   Oy_Bouchero 8 月 23, 2026

   Be right back, jfais mon 30 minutes de silence pour Louis Riel

   578
4. M

   Mihir Nanda 8 月 23, 2026

   Ask anybody for help. Everyone is nice. That’s it. That’s the universal language- kindness.

   401
5. J

   joereid 8 月 23, 2026

   Canadian magical realism that recalls everything from Abbas Kiarostami to Wes Anderson to Charlie Kaufman if he’d just lighten up for a second. The conceit knocks you off balance long enough to sneak in literally dozens of jokes, sight gags, loving jabs at Winnipeg, turkeys (2024: Year of the Cinematic Bird!), and the best use of Tim Horton’s in a movie I have ever seen. And after all that, it moves you into this really sweet melancholy about home and identity and culture and regret. Total banger, see it as soon as you’re able.

   366 2
6. D

   davidehrlich 8 月 23, 2026

   Despite being set in a parallel-universe Winnipeg where the people talk in Farsi and the world around them seems as if it’s been frozen in time since the mid-1980s (when Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and the other masters of Iranian meta-realism were exploding onto the international stage), the haunted but hopeful “Universal Language” is an unmistakably modern film at heart. Described by writer-director Matthew Rankin as a piece of “autobiographical hallucination,” this wonderfully deadpan whatsit is the work of a white 43-year-old Canadian man who fell in love with the movies a time when “foreign” cinema was becoming more available to people outside major cultural hubs. He found that Kanoon-style fables like “Where Is the Friend’s House?” and “The White…

   982
7. S

   Slime Da Garbage Mane 8 月 23, 2026

   I Shoulda Never Smoke That Shit Now Im At Tha Brutalist Iranian Tim Hortons

   2,236 11
8. S

   saskia 8 月 23, 2026

   Immigrants will not take your job but they will take amazing care of your mom while you were off having the most neutral experience of your life. This country is inhospitable and cold but it’s also a small town and there are some wonderful unremarkable people living here. Including your French teacher, he’s crazy in a way you can’t explain but it’s okay because you’re 9 and your parents love you and when you grow up you’re gonna be Groucho Marx.

   584 2
9. A

   Anthony 8 月 23, 2026

   “Iranian cinema emerges out of a thousand years of poetry, Winnipeg cinema emerges out of 50 years of infomercials.” – Matthew Rankin in the Q&A

   1,049 3
10. D

    David 8 月 23, 2026

    Legault jumpscare.

    337 2
11. S

    sleepawaycramps 8 月 23, 2026

    i am lebanese. i am canadian. i was split in two the moment my mother birthed me on canadian soil. i am still trying to become one. to become a self. language escapes me because my culture is captured through a lens that is smudged. everything exists on some border that is forever out of focus. walking and searching and melting and melting and melting and melting.

    390
12. F

    Finn 8 月 21, 2026

    Care really is the universal language. What a beautiful, moving work. I sobbed in theatres the first time I watched it and for a while on a drive back home with the friend I watched it with. Truly the movie of all time. Also I want to go to this Timmies more than anything.

13. G

    Gooey 8 月 21, 2026

    Once I saw the “speak softly flowers are sensitive” and the “do not scream near the flowers” signs in the flower shop, I knew this was going to be good. The cinematography was truly out of this world.

14. L

    Lepelheima 8 月 21, 2026

    Universal Language. “Whatever comes from the heart will surely soothe the heart.” An existential autopsy of human connection, that re-engineers memory, geography, and bureaucracy through the lens of mid-century absurdity. Directed by Matthew Rankin.

    4
15. W

    Wash DeSouza 8 月 19, 2026

    basicamenten um filme iraniano dirigido pelo Wes Anderson. tem seu valor, but not today…

16. C

    chocobonobo 8 月 19, 2026

    _________________________________________________________________________ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|____ ___|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|____ ___|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|____ ___|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_

17. A

    Aran 8 月 19, 2026

    Canadian Wes Anderson has potential

    2
18. F

    foreverdelayed 8 月 19, 2026

    A lot of familiar influences, but a uniquely Canadian blend that was quite fresh to me. The alternate Winnipeg was a really striking setting, and the tone and photography kept me engaged throughout. A bit too arbitrary at parts (Kleenex, turkeys) for my taste, and the story never resonated, but I’m glad films like this exist.

19. S

    sarahyet 8 月 19, 2026

    AH Portage Place jumpscare! (And there’s not a single crackhead in sight?)

    1
20. R

    rileyhart 8 月 19, 2026

    look I’m never going to Winnipeg so I’m happy to assume this is just a realistic depiction

21. R

    ratomiles 8 月 18, 2026

    All the wishes were cancelled. To discourage idleness.

22. C

    Colin 8 月 17, 2026

    The most Canadian and Persian movie out there. Off-beat and littered with dry wit, it’s genuinely endearing, despite me still scratching my head on the exact meaning the director was going for. You can easily tell it was made with love.

    1
23. A

    Afra 8 月 17, 2026

    what tim horton could be > what tim horton is

24. K

    katrbathr 8 月 17, 2026

    A place that would be good for me to reside long-term would be the Tehran Hortons. Gobble gobble watched this floor 14 presidential suite of new york pres with my compatriots on the rolling beside table. Kind of interesting… one semester of Farsi really paid off in dividends. I also had ten jelly beans and half cup coffee so my eyes were really open. Some stuff I liked – BIENVENUE, revolutionary walking tour, “regular people live there…” last scene is most perfect five minutes. Gobble

25. K

    Kelly 8 月 17, 2026

    I want to know why Winnipeg makes people like this

    1
26. M

    Madeleine 8 月 16, 2026

    Really beautiful! Winnipeg is genuinely wretched irl.

    1
27. B

    buntythechicken 8 月 16, 2026

    I’m sure it was good. I didn’t get it

28. T

    TundraFoot 8 月 16, 2026

    A fantastic Canadian film that truly encapsulates the feeling of going home to a place that doesn’t feel like home anymore. Feeling like a stranger in the place that you grew up.

29. A

    abradacabral 8 月 16, 2026

    Moi aussi je serais en crise de larmes si mon bureau était uniquement décoré par deux photos de François Legault

    2
30. J

    Joshua Beaulne 8 月 16, 2026

    First rewatch since seeing it the theatre because my roommate was watching and God this movie is just so nice to fully sit and soak in again. Truly incredible piece of work

    4
31. W

    Wayne 8 月 16, 2026

    This is my new favorite movie

    1
32. F

    fossitasosvlist 8 月 15, 2026

    فيلم جيد. من المفترض أن يكون تكريمًا للسينما الإيرانية ويمكنك الشعور بذلك بوضوح، تأثير كياروستامي واضح جدًا. كان فيلمًا أصليًا جدًا

33. A

    Aïxa Pellerin-Dufort 8 月 15, 2026

    Alors j’ai rien compris quasiment tout le long sauf à la fin et c’était sacrément bien et la direction photo est super chouette, j’ai bien aimé

    1
34. N

    near_noush 8 月 15, 2026

    IN THE NAME OF FRIENDSHIP 🦃 🦃gheireh ghabeleh ghabool🦃 will live rent free in my mind forever. The genius of whoever came up with that moment.

    1
35. G

    GuillermJU 8 月 15, 2026

    Cómo me encanta la interculturalidad. It’s somehow a blend of Roy Andersson’s stills, Wes Anderson’s symmetric compositions, and Pedro Almodóvar’s quirkiness. Plus, the farsi, cultural heritage mixed with that singular far away brother mixed aesthetic. Loved it!

36. B

    bogbody 8 月 14, 2026

    Brilliant. Relentless in its depiction of Winnipeg as a hostile and inhospitable liminal place where every good thing is perpetually delayed. You see shot after shot of blocky anonymous buildings, passages crossfading into walls, borderlines. Highways, hallways, temporary office cubicles, parking garages, the three named districts (Beige, Brown, and Grey), the mind-numbing industries of pride (Kleenex, cold storage, turkey meat). Disorienting close-ups. It’s all foreboding and absurd. Then at last, the gut-punch: you see an actual house, first from the…

37. A

    AntoniusBlock7 8 月 14, 2026

    This felt like the answer to what if Guy Maddin and Abbas Kiarostami made a film together. It’s quirky, the blandness of Winnipeg features prominently, and there are some adorable schoolchildren. Oh, and the national language of Canada is Farsi in this world. That all sounds pretty interesting to me, and the film was strong early on, with the kids in a French immersion school and two girls trying to figure out how to get a 50 Rial bill that’s…

    16 10
38. A

    Anh 8 月 14, 2026

    It’s kind of Wes Anderson-esque with this collection of characters and story structure

39. V

    vonmabuse 8 月 14, 2026

    One of those very rare things; a UFO film, a film unlike anything else out there. As it’s a Winnipeg movie the first thought is that it’s like a Guy Maddin film. But it isn’t really, apart from some shared absurdism – the style is quite different from Maddin’s. And then there was A GIRL WALKS HOME AT NIGHT; which was like this film, i.e. shot in a N. America where everyone speaks Persian. That central idea is shared, but…

    1
40. D

    danya 8 月 14, 2026

    what wes anderson wishes he could be

41. M

    mégane 8 月 14, 2026

    wes anderson wishes he was matthew rankin!

42. T

    toureiffelix 8 月 14, 2026

    no way personne m’avait averti que le cinéma canadien pondait des masterclass comme ça, sur ce je vais aller militer pour le camp du non 🇨🇦

    1
43. M

    MarloweMitchell 8 月 13, 2026

    Somehow finds the middle point between My Winnipeg and Where is the Friends House? which seems impossible to imagine but in practice it’s oddly intuitive. It’s mostly light and full of heart and whimsy. The framing of architecture and the low budget world building is awesome. And the warmth of the grain keeps the coldness approachable. Works towards some disarmingly effective emotional beats. Initially feels like a random grab bag of influences but sticks the landing making it feel deeply personal and pointed. Odd and cool.

    1
44. J

    jaedon !! 8 月 13, 2026

    fucckk the vibes are so immaculate and weird in like the best way possible

    1
45. I

    ivy 8 月 13, 2026

    so sweet and quite beautiful – so sweet and quite beautiful

    1
46. R

    redballoon4u 8 月 13, 2026

    i’ll need to watch this one again, not a predictable plot but the magical elements to it made me contemplate stuff that i can’t remember

47. N

    Nikitas Koúros Заяц 8 月 13, 2026

    Κατά τη διάρκεια της ταινίας σκεφτόμουν συνέχεια τη θεωρία των έξι βαθμών διαχωρισμού και το πόσο αλληλοεπικαλυπτόμενες και αλληλοσυνδεόμενες είναι τελικά οι ζωές όλων των ανθρώπων. Είναι κάτι που θυμάμαι να με απασχολεί από πάντα, ιδιαίτερα το καλοκαίρι, όταν παρατηρώ τα πλήθη των τουριστών και σκέφτομαι πόσο παράλληλα ζούμε όλοι, χωρίς να γνωρίζουμε πόσο κοντά μπορεί να βρίσκονται οι ζωές μας. Με εντυπωσίασε επίσης ο τρόπος με τον οποίο μια αλήθεια μπορεί να διαστρεβλωθεί, πόσο μάλλον όταν παρεμβάλλεται μια…

48. G

    gabe 💫 8 月 13, 2026

    cute film i was a fan of the intersecting stories

    1
49. C

    Colin "Paddington" Barham 8 月 12, 2026

    Didn’t Cry. Also didn’t understand, but that’s ok sometimes!

50. J

    Julie KTL 8 月 12, 2026

    L’équivalent cinématographique d’une tête brûlée : un petit bonbon qui pique. (Je sais pas trop quoi faire avec le fait que le réal n’est pas iranien)

51. D

    Dimitris Ktistakis 8 月 11, 2026

    It reminded me of Wes Anderson—or rather, someone trying to copy that aesthetic and not quite pulling it off. There were some jokes that really made me crack up, though. But generally speaking, this absurdist movie didn’t make sense, and not in a good way. Other than being aesthetically pleasing and funny at times, it didn’t have much of anything else.

52. L

    Laurent_O 8 月 5, 2026

    Merci pour ce film aussi doux qu’absurde!

53. M

    Myra 8 月 3, 2026

    Witty, fun, bleak and absurd, Universal Language is the first film in a while to show me something that feels both very familiar, and entirely new. Like a medley of different styles fused into something greater than the some of it’s parts. An instant recommend to any film-buff.

54. V

    vivonito 7 月 19, 2026

    I found it comforting to watch small events unfold in a surreal and beautiful world, gradually connected by acts of kindness. At first glance, it seems like a bleak world where diversity and tolerance have been lost, yet kindness still flows through it, connecting people and giving them support. It was a warm and gentle story that made that idea feel quietly reassuring.

55. A

    Amishkin 8 月 18, 2025

    Such a uniquely Canadian film. Multiculturalism led to such creativity.

56. M

    magicjo 7 月 19, 2025

    Probably one of my favourite movies of all time