43/33
Cummings stars as The Guess Who
An absurdist triptych of seemingly unrelated stories finds its way into this tale, set somewhere between Winnipeg and Tehran, Canada’s official entry for the “Best International Feature Film” category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. These Eyes was written by Randy Bachman and Burton. From its cinematography and its usual search for symmetry, whether static or traveling, and its pleasant aesthetic with a dreamlike atmosphere that enhances the universality of the setting, to the story that revolves around various characters as their lives intersect and bring dialogue to life that is sometimes polite, sometimes not so much, the influence of Wes Anderson runs through Matthew Rankin’s feature film from beginning to end.
With a comedy that is composed of ironic, callous and black humor, Une langue universelle manages to be hilarious whenever it wants to
As in Anderson’s films, Rankin is keen to explore the reality of his film, a reality full of idiosyncrasies that serve as fertile ground for comedy. An angry teacher yells at students in class, one of whom claims that a turkey stole his glasses; another dresses like Groucho Marx because he wants to be a comedian; another from a fashionista; a freelance tour guide who picks out strange things for you on a trip, etc. There are many occasions where its events border on the absurd or surreal, which enhances the comedy that surrounds it, but never undermines its goal of depth that invites reflection.
Rankin’s skill is able to evoke a surreal and dreamlike fable, but also an expressive introspective melancholy
Elements and feelings that combine and give life to a strange experience between places and times, realities and dreams. For example, in the reality of the film, even though we are in Canada, French, much less English, appears as a second language and Persian appears in its place. Everyone speaks it, there are posters and billboards written on it, which makes its result something close but distant, familiar and unfamiliar, blending in a new culturally and demographically blind reality.
The camera is sometimes static from a distance, observing their movement and how it affects the environment rather than focusing on their faces and expressions up close
As for the cinematography, often similar to Anderson’s, more in framing and movement than in color palette, there is a constant desire to inhabit the spaces where the characters are. It is as if the location is as important to the storytelling as the characters, and Rankin wants to make sure we enter it as tourists from a foreign land. And while we may know these cities by name, there may be reasons to delve into these spaces within the film and its demographic profile that doesn’t match our familiarity.