From alienation to acceptance

A third of the way into Matthew Rankin's Universal Language, one stops wanting to know the film's secret and begins swimming in its mystery instead.

- RANJITA GANESAN

In the Canadian director's sophomore full-length feature, Winnipeg is indistinguishable from Tehran, a Persian teacher scolds students in French, a Manitoban breaks into fluent Farsi, Tim Hortons sells chai sadeh, men play women, women play men. Cultures bend and identities coalesce with absurd ease to show what the present moment could look like if it emphasized unifying care over an isolating individuality.

A sense of alienation – within and around characters – bound Universal Language and several international films screened at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. In fact, the event itself had to suffer some disconnection this year, inflicted by the backing out of a title sponsor. While that meant the festival preserved its creative independence, it was forced to play at just two venues unlike the city-wide spread of previous editions.

Feelings of estrangement affect the festival-going experience too. Audiences lately are split in two factions: Those so prone to checking the phone they fail to give the big screen their undivided attention, and those who audibly admonish the phone crowd. Perhaps – if Matthew Rankin were allowed to direct these scenes – the groups could turn around and surprise each other with a droll but meaningful hug.