While ‘Universal Language’ Is Sure To Nettle, Director Matthew Rankin Does Manage To Weave a Spell
We’re in territory that bears the influence of Wes Anderson’s oxygen-free absurdism and the studied mannerism of Jacques Tati. But sometimes a body pines for a movie that doesn’t wear its IQ on its sleeve.
Canada’s submission to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for the 2024 Best International Feature was Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language.” Good luck getting into the heads of a Hollywood elite in terms of divining the selection procedure: However keen the academy is set on proving its political correctness bona fides, the bottom line still provides an abiding rule of thumb.
Mr. Rankin’s picture about identity and displacement flicks the first switch, but a whimsical art house confection is unlikely to flood anyone’s coffers in terms of box office. The Academy didn’t pick up Mr. Rankin’s ball.
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