43/37

These EyesWritten by Randy Bachman and Burton CummingsPlayed by The Guess Who

An absurd triptych of seemingly unrelated stories finds a mysterious intersection in this narrative set somewhere between Winnipeg and Tehran.. Official entry of Canada for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.. From its cinematography and its usual search for symmetry, static or in the direction of travel, and its pleasant aesthetic with a dreamlike atmosphere that underlines the universality of the settings, to its story that revolves around various characters as their lives intersect and enlivens a sometimes polite, sometimes less polite dialogue, the influence of Wes Anderson runs through Matthew Rankin’s feature from start to finish.

A freelance tour guide with odd choices for his tour, etc

As in Anderson’s films, Rankin is interested in exploring the reality of his film, a reality full of idiosyncrasies that serve as fertile ground for comedy. An angry teacher yells at the students in a class, one of whom claims a turkey stole his glasses; another is dressed as Groucho Marx because he wants to be a comedian; and another as a fashionista. With a comedy of dry, wry and black humor, Une langue universelle manages to be hilarious whenever it pleases.

Rankin’s skill manages to evoke a surrealist, dreamlike fable, but also an expressive, introspective melancholy

There are many moments when the events border on absurdity or surrealism, which adds to the comedy that permeates them, but without undermining their thought-provoking goal. Elements and feelings that mingle, bringing to life a special experience between places and times, realities and dreams. For example, in the reality of the film, even when we are in Canada, French, let alone English, seems to be a second language, and Persian takes its place.

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 in close-ups

They all speak it, and signs and billboards are written in that language, making the result seem like something close yet distant, the familiar and the unfamiliar mingling in a culturally and demographically blind new reality. In terms of the cinematography, which often resembles Anderson’s more in the framing and movement than the color palette, there is a constant will to inhabit the spaces the characters are in. It’s as if the place is as important to telling the story as the characters, and Rankin wants to make sure we explore it like 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 context of the film and its demographic profile that do not match our knowledge