22/23
An absurd triptych of seemingly unrelated stories finds a mysterious point of intersection in this tale set somewhere between Winnipeg and Tehran. Canada’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. These Eyes Written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings Performed by The Guess Who. From the cinematography and the usual search for symmetry, static or moving shots and a pleasant aesthetic with a dreamlike atmosphere that reinforces the universality of the settings, to the story revolving around the different characters, the way their lives intersect and the dialogue, sometimes polite, other times not so much, the influence of Wes Anderson permeates Matthew Rankin’s film from beginning to end. As in Anderson’s films, Rankin is interested in exploring the reality of his film, a reality full of peculiarities that provide fertile ground for comedy. An angry teacher in a classroom shouting at his students, one of whom claims a turkey stole his glasses; another dressed as Groucho Marx because he wants to be a comedian; and yet another as a fashionista. A freelance tour guide with strange choices for his trip, etc. With a comedy composed of ironic, dispassionate, and black humor, Une langue universelle manages to be funny whenever it wants to be. There are many moments when its events border on the absurd or surreal, deepening the comedy in which it bathes, but never undermining its goal of thought-provoking depth. Rankin’s skill can evoke a surreal, dreamlike fable, but also an expressive, introspective melancholy. Elements and feelings that come together and give life to a unique experience between places and times, realities and dreams. For example, in the film’s reality, even though we’re in Canada, French, let alone English, seems to be a second language, and in its place is Farsi. Everyone speaks it, and the signs and billboards are written in it, making the result something near and far, familiar and unfamiliar, all blending into a culturally and demographically blind new reality. As for the cinematography, often reminiscent of Anderson’s, more in framing and movement than in color palette, there’s a constant will to inhabit the spaces the characters are in. The camera is sometimes static from a distance, observing their movement and how it affects their surroundings, rather than focusing on their faces and expressions through close-ups. It’s as if the setting is as important as the characters to the storytelling, and Rankin wants to make sure we immerse ourselves in it like tourists in a foreign country. And while we may be familiar with these cities by name, within the context of the film and its demographic profile not matching our knowledge, there may be reasons to delve into these spaces.
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