Canadian director presents a romantic comedy, disaster movie, family drama and eco-horror rolled into one

A French man suffering a mental health crisis finds hope in the most unlikely of places in Canadian director Anne Emond’s curious bilingual English and French comedy, which sets a burgeoning romance against a backdrop of climate crisis and a possible oncoming apocalypse. Peak Everything leans heavily on the considerable charms of leads Patrick Hivon and Piper Perabo, whose down-to-earth chemistry helps keep the narrative moving forwards through its frequent outlandish detours.

A softened, dream-like texture

Premiering in Directors’ Fortnight, the film is produced by MetaFilms, the Canadian outfit behind last year’s inaugural Directors Fortnight prize winner Universal Language. Emond has enjoyed extensive festival play with previous features Night#1, The Loved Ones, Nelly and Young Juliette, and Peak Everything – her first film to feature English dialogue alongside French – is likely to follow a similar path. Immina Films will release in Canada and while further travel may be limited, the film’s determined optimism and warm performances could help it eventually find an audience.