‘I Don’t Understand You’ Uses Cultural Misunderstandings for Murderously Cheeky Laughs

Alci Rengifo

Americans tend to have a reputation for knowing little about the world beyond our borders. We love to travel to bucket list destinations, but how much about their cultures do we genuinely learn about? “I Don’t Understand You” attempts various comedy angles, eventually coalescing with bloody gusto on the central theme of the absurdity of clueless language barriers. In the beginning we care for the plight of its main characters, yet by the end can only roll our eyes at a nightmare of their own making. It’s a short movie, so its slight shortcomings can easily be overlooked since for most of its running time, the sheer timing of its leads makes it fun.

Writers/directors David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano begin the movie making us think it is one kind of story. Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells) are married and about to celebrate their 10th anniversary with a trip to Italy. The couple is also aiming to forget recent disappointments in trying to adopt a baby, though they have a new, very promising chance with a young mother-to-be, Candace (Amanda Seyfried). Once they arrive in Italy, Dom and Cole check into a motel where they suspect the receptionist looks at them strangely for being gay. They go into the countryside (gorgeously shot by cinematographer Lowell A. Meyer) to a special restaurant Dom found online. The two speak zero Italian and barely make an effort to learn, so they rely on terms, expressions and hand signals. When their car breaks down on a dark country road, they need help from the rural locals, a situation that descends into confused mayhem.

How Craig and Crano swerve into what becomes a tale of murder is one of this movie’s wicked little charms. Early on, they tease us into believing this could become a gay horror/comedy following on the heels of recent socially conscious romps like “Get Out.” It’s not as if homophobia has gone away, so there is nothing surprising about Dom and Cole feeling unease at the stares of misogynist-looking types. The idea of a libertine Europe has always been rather misguided, since there is still a very dark conservative streak in most of its countries (as in anywhere). We gradually notice Dom and Cole are also a bit of the stereotypical American travelers, eager for vistas and cuisine. It is surprising they don’t seem desperate to record the entire trip on social media, where most people show off their international stops. Kroll and Rannells are a convincing pair, making the one-liners and dialogue crackle. It helps that there’s an authenticity to the scenes about married life, considering directors Craig and Crano are actually married.

The movie then fully justifies the literal nature of its title when the couple finds their way to the cozy rural restaurant, which is really inside the home of an older woman who cooks the meals herself. Before that we get some classic Americans in strange places angst, like when our travelers encounter a scruffy Italian farmer and a deer trapped in barbed wire. In the restaurant the script finds some of its best moments as Dom and Cole have no idea what their host is saying, yet the dishes are great (except a sausage pizza vegetarian Cole cannot stomach). One misunderstanding, the need for a phone charger and a rainstorm somehow corner the couple into a murder. It’s a wacky turn of events but believable in the spirit of the movie. It will only get hilariously more entangled when the old woman’s son, Massimo (Morgan Spector) arrives. By the end of a bloody night, you will listen much more carefully whenever you think someone is shouting “you’re dead!”

Even as it runs at a comfortable 1 hour and 36 minutes, “I Don’t Understand You” does feel as if it’s struggling for material after its wilder twists are somewhat resolved. The closing scenes feel slightly muddled, as if the filmmakers had so much fun with their characters, they forgot whether we should feel sorry for them or not. It works just fine as a gruesome comedy of misunderstandings. It may begin as about aloof Americans abroad, yet even amongst ourselves we can make some incredibly dumb choices just because we misheard a question or phrase. Despite some rough edges, its starring duo ensures we’re into the getaway until the end, laughing and cringing.

“I Don’t Understand You” releases June 6 in select theaters.