At Cork International Film Festival, Dev Murray looks at chaotic, climate-crisis romance in her review of Peak Everything.
Two quirky individuals pave their way through the weirdness of life in Peak Everything (Amour Apocalypse), a 2025 Quebecois rom-com written and directed by Anne Émond. This bilingual exploration of love, anxiety and trauma cleverly blends weighty themes with humour. Adam Tremblay (Patrick Hivon), a kennel owner plagued by eco-anxiety, finds little relief from his family, friends or therapist, that is until he begins chatting with a customer service representative, Tina (Piper Perabo).
Reminiscent of Spike Jonze’s 2013 Her, Émond offers a fresh take on connection through conversation. The dialogue switches from snappy, dry observations to deep rumination on love and the universe. The French-Canadian setting provides a thoughtful exploration of intertwined cultural identity. Hexagonal French cinema has left its mark, notably through La Nouvelle Vague. However, “standard French” has traditionally dominated literature and the arts, often overshadowing other Francophone cultures. Peak Everything dynamically plays with standard French, English and Québécois throughout. Even Adam’s surname, Tremblay (common in Quebec), is a playful nod to Michel Tremblay, the celebrated Montreal writer who often explored questions of French-Canadian identity.
Driven by the aforementioned themes, the film's sharp writing delivers absurd and authentic situations which are both raw and emotionally charged. Adam’s love of animals, juxtaposed with his anxiety over climate change, underpins the general sense of impending doom. Tina's chatter is reminiscent of an AI chatbot at times, an observation which Adam mentions himself. The nature of their relationship, and how it unfolds entirely over the phone, paints a thoughtful picture of companionship and parasocial connection. Well-realised characters, along with their opposing attitudes and traits, make for strong on-screen chemistry. Perabo does a fantastic job embodying Tina, her humble wholesomeness making her very easy to root for.
The strength of Émond’s storytelling builds on years of experience across numerous short films and six features, impressive for a filmmaker still only in her early 40s. Many of her works explore French-Canadian culture, most notably Nelly, about real-life Canadian author Nelly Arcan. On home turf, Émond is something of a critical darling, accumulating an extensive list of accolades. Her film Jeune Juliette received two awards at the Festival International du Film de Comédie de Liège in 2019, and she also directed the video recording of the now-famous play Manuel de la vie sauvage.
And now, Peak Everything brings something wonderfully complex and layered to this mix. The cinematography celebrates the romance with beautiful, moody and calm lighting, while some scenes lean more towards the surreal, exploring the uncertainty of Adam’s mind. This captures the multifaceted tone of the film well, and in an interview with Émond and Hivon, they explain how the depth of the characters allows for this tone to shift swiftly between comedy and drama.
The humour is both goofy and quick-witted, but even if you don’t find yourself laughing out loud, Peak Everything is nonetheless a very pleasant watch. Sure, a romantic relationship might seem small while facing the existential threat of the Earth imploding and inevitable doom, but it also puts everything into perspective.
Peak Everything screened at Cork International Film Festival on 9th and 13th November 2025.
