The 1937 Jean Renoir masterpiece Grand Illusion is still studied by film students today. It’s a brilliant war picture without any scenes taking place on the battlefield. The dialogue was also unique as characters spoke in the language that made the most sense for where they were from. British POWs spoke English, French spoke French, and German guards spoke German.
With the changing landscape of this digital world, Quebec has also evolved. Peak Everything is a modern romantic comedy. Characters speak the languages they know. They don’t just use an accent to suggest being “foreign”.
Peak Everything screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for its 50th year, as well as the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in October 2025.
Peak Everything was released in theatres in Canada on September 26th, 2025.
Here is our conversation with director Anne Émond.
HNMAG: One of the funniest moments is the way the movie starts with the delivery of the lamp.
ANNE ÉMOND: The reality, I would say, is that we order more and more things online.
HNMAG: Yeah, that’s true
ANNE ÉMOND: Those delivery people don’t always take care of the package. It’s too much like they are treated like a robot or AI or something. They have so much to do, so that’s how it’s done. We order too many things online. People have too many things to deliver, so that’s how it goes.
HNMAG: With Peak Everything, people spoke French because they’re in a small town in Quebec. When Adam speaks with Tina on the phone, obviously, she doesn’t speak French. Adam spoke English with her. He was pretty much fluent. That’s very unique. You don’t get many movies that are bilingual. It’s a great reflection of Canada.
ANNE ÉMOND: I was thinking about that. Canada is supposed to be a bilingual country. We never use that. It’s two separate cultures. It’s like we are living on two different planets. I thought it was interesting that Adam is quite good in English. Practically bilingual. It’s not like all people in the province but how we are in…
HNMAG: Montreal.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yes, Montreal. I thought it was interesting that he’s so lonely and isolated. He’s living such a simple life. Sudbury becomes quite a dream. For Adam, it’s a romantic city. The opposite side of the world for him. When he cries in front of that sign you see when you’re leaving Ontario, it’s kind of funny because it is this.
HNMAG: Was that a real statue?
ANNE ÉMOND: No, no, we made it. Ontario is open for business. This slogan makes me laugh every time.
HNMAG: Adam is isolated at home. It’s almost like he feels trapped.
ANNE ÉMOND: He has to run after his dreams. Sudbury turns into a paradise. He cried under the sign “You’re leaving Ontario” like it’s the end of the great escape, but we don’t laugh at him. You know it’s super sweet. Since he doesn’t speak English perfectly, he has to be quite practical and simple. When he talks with Tina, he’s quite a character. Adam becomes a little bit naïve that way.
HNMAG: Sure
ANNE ÉMOND: Since he has to think and translate before he speaks in English, it’s almost even more straight to the point.
HNMAG: It’s more real. It’s more authentic.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yeah.
HNMAG: What town is it that they’re in?
ANNE ÉMOND: Oh yeah, we shot five days in Sudbury.
HNMAG: Adam’s hometown.
ANNE ÉMOND: We see it’s a little place in Quebec. We don’t know exactly where. We shot some scenes in Thetford Mines. It’s quite industrial.
HNMAG: Most of the cast are Canadians, but Piper Perabo plays Tina.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yes
HNMAG: Why did you cast her as Tina?
ANNE ÉMOND: We have a lot of great English Canadian actresses. We didn’t aim for an American actress. We wanted to find the best person for this part. I re-watched The Prestige by Christopher Nolan.
HNMAG: Right.
ANNE ÉMOND: And I was writing the film, and I was like Huh, I love this woman. She’s, of course, this underdog, overshadowed by Scarlett Johansson, but she looks genuinely kind and nice, which is rare. It’s kind of a rarity these days. Today, it’s considered better to look strong and a little bit bitchy. The kindness quality is not fashionable right now, but that’s how I feel, and I’m pretty convinced that it is something we need. To save humanity, we will need to learn how to be nice to each other again. Piper looks like Tina.
HNMAG: We can’t imagine anyone else now.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yeah
HNMAG: Will the movie be on Crave in English throughout Canada?
ANNE ÉMOND: I hope so, but I don’t know. I hope it does. As for now, we have distribution in France and in many places. There’s about 20 territories. We still don’t have a deal with the US.
HNMAG: Not yet.
ANNE ÉMOND: They are talking right now, but there’s nothing confirmed.
HNMAG: Is this your first film in English?
ANNE ÉMOND: It’s the first time I worked in English, and to be honest, I liked it. It’s a little bit harder at the end of the day because I have to think twice.
HNMAG: How did you come up with something that was so original, and was that challenging?
ANNE ÉMOND: When I was eight years old, I had to give a presentation in front of the class. I was very shy, but I remember my presentation was about the environment and climate change. It was a long time ago but I already cared deeply about the issue. I spoke about the ozone layer, whales, the climate crisis. My entire life, I have been talking about this more and more. It makes sense as a topic and I was wondering about it.
HNMAG: How did you come up with a bilingual long-distance romance?
ANNE ÉMOND: The subject matter of the film is climate change, mental health, and depression. That’s very dark and difficult to make a film about. I didn’t want to be depressing. Why do we want to save this planet? It’s probably because of love, laughter, and joy. That’s how I wanted to be, and life is more and more strange every morning. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also adding to all of that.
HNMAG: You don’t see a love story over the phone with someone who works in customer service too often.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yes
HNMAG: Customer service is kind of dying now. It’s all outsourced or being taken over by AI. We have lost that human connection.
ANNE ÉMOND: Of course. Yes, soon we won’t talk to people anymore. When you watch the film, you could believe that Tina doesn’t even exist.
HNMAG: Tina could be a really advanced AI.
ANNE ÉMOND: Yeah, she’s an AI or she’s empty. The film could have been super sci-fi, but I’m not really interested in that.
HNMAG: No.
ANNE ÉMOND: I’m interested in real life.
Anne Émond is a talented writer and film director who has a lot of experience making movies in French in Quebec. She has a lot to say and has many deep and difficult struggles that need to be shared and figured out. Peak Everything could have been a dark, depressing movie that would leave the audience with a heavy heart or even a dystopian science fiction warning against the dangers of AI and our lost human connections. That is not who Anne is, and she wanted to make a movie that people can connect to, understand isolation, loneliness, the climate crisis, but still walk away with a smile. Peak Everything is a wonderful, funny film that will bring a smile to your face. We hope that more movies can be this fun, and we look forward to more from Anne Émond.