Universalove
Encyclopedia
Universalove is a 2008 Austria
n romantic
tragedy
film directed by Thomas Woschitz. It debuted in Canada at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
on September 5, 2008, and, after a re-edit which involved substituting the New York episode, was awarded the Max-Ophüls Preis at the 30th Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, that took place January 16 to February 1, 2009.
In the US, Universalove screened at the Miami International Film Festival
on March 14, 2009, and at the San Joaquin International Film Festival on May 17, 2009 as its Centerpiece Film.
In Marseille
, a young man (Rashid) flees from a gangster. His girlfriend follows him on a motorcycle. When she arrives at the scene of confrontation, she finds that the gangster is pointing a gun at Rashid, but that they are frozen in time.
In Luxembourg
, a married middle-aged man carries on a relationship with a young man.
In Tokyo
, a computer technician fixes a computer for a customer. He finds images of a woman on the computer's hard drive and falls in love with her. He tracks her down to the restaurant where she works, and goes there intending to give her a letter telling her of his love for her. Before he enters the restaurant, however, he is randomly stabbed by a passing thug. Unaware that he has been stabbed, he enters the restaurant, sits down and orders a meal from the woman. Before he can give her the letter, he realises that he has been seriously injured and collapses on the floor.
In Belgrade
, a woman works in a shop selling wedding dresses. Her unreliable husband plays in a local band. Their relationship falters, but they are eventually reconciled.
In Brooklyn
, a young taxi driver is convinced that his girlfriend is seeing another man. While driving the streets, he thinks he sees her on the way to a meeting with her lover. He follows her into an apartment building, but he is mistaken – it is another woman. He returns to his girlfriend, and they are reunited.
In Rio de Janeiro
, a woman is watching a TV soap opera
when her TV breaks down. She takes it to a TV repair shop. On her way home from the shop, she is hit by a car driven by the good-looking male star of the soap opera, who is on his way to the film set. She is not seriously injured and refuses his offer to take her to the hospital. Instead he takes her to the film set, where she watches the filming and is given a walk-on part in the show where she lovingly embraces him.
. The group has frequently performed the soundtrack live as an accompaniment to screenings of the film.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n romantic
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
film directed by Thomas Woschitz. It debuted in Canada at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
on September 5, 2008, and, after a re-edit which involved substituting the New York episode, was awarded the Max-Ophüls Preis at the 30th Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, that took place January 16 to February 1, 2009.
In the US, Universalove screened at the Miami International Film Festival
Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida in the late winter. The film festival is sponsored by the Miami Film Society, which has been around since 1983....
on March 14, 2009, and at the San Joaquin International Film Festival on May 17, 2009 as its Centerpiece Film.
Plot summary
The film follows the individuals of six unrelated love stories from around the world, some ending in happiness and some ending in tragedy.In Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, a young man (Rashid) flees from a gangster. His girlfriend follows him on a motorcycle. When she arrives at the scene of confrontation, she finds that the gangster is pointing a gun at Rashid, but that they are frozen in time.
In Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
, a married middle-aged man carries on a relationship with a young man.
In Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, a computer technician fixes a computer for a customer. He finds images of a woman on the computer's hard drive and falls in love with her. He tracks her down to the restaurant where she works, and goes there intending to give her a letter telling her of his love for her. Before he enters the restaurant, however, he is randomly stabbed by a passing thug. Unaware that he has been stabbed, he enters the restaurant, sits down and orders a meal from the woman. Before he can give her the letter, he realises that he has been seriously injured and collapses on the floor.
In Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, a woman works in a shop selling wedding dresses. Her unreliable husband plays in a local band. Their relationship falters, but they are eventually reconciled.
In Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, a young taxi driver is convinced that his girlfriend is seeing another man. While driving the streets, he thinks he sees her on the way to a meeting with her lover. He follows her into an apartment building, but he is mistaken – it is another woman. He returns to his girlfriend, and they are reunited.
In Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, a woman is watching a TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
when her TV breaks down. She takes it to a TV repair shop. On her way home from the shop, she is hit by a car driven by the good-looking male star of the soap opera, who is on his way to the film set. She is not seriously injured and refuses his offer to take her to the hospital. Instead he takes her to the film set, where she watches the filming and is given a walk-on part in the show where she lovingly embraces him.
Music
The music for the film was composed by the Austrian group Naked LunchNaked Lunch (band)
Naked Lunch is a band from Klagenfurt, Austria, founded in 1991. They started out as an alternative rock band mixing hard rock guitars and fragile vocals. In the nineties, they connected with the German The Notwist/Weilheim musical scene with whom they still have their ties...
. The group has frequently performed the soundtrack live as an accompaniment to screenings of the film.