Universal Language

Universal Language

Canada (Québec) | 2024 | 89 min. | Matthew Rankin

Opens February 14, 2025

In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave with each other in surprising and mysterious ways.

Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly-befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out upon an enigmatic journey to visit his mother. Space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.

  • Original Language Title: Une Langue Universelle
  • Director: Matthew Rankin
  • Principal Cast: Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Rojina Esmaeili, Danielle Fichaud, Sobhan Javadi
  • Country: Canada (Québec)
  • Year: 2024
  • Running Time: 89 min.
  • Producer: Sylvain Corbeil
  • Screenplay: Ila Firouzabadi, Pirouz Neemati, Matthew Rankin
  • Cinematographers: Isabelle Stachtchenko
  • Editors: Xi Feng
  • Music: Amir Amiri, Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux
  • Filmography: The Twentieth Century
  • Language: Farsi, French
  • Has Subtitles: Yes
  • US Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
  • International Sales: Best Friend Forever