Recent years have been filled with dread, despair, and ugliness. Simons, a leading Canadian fashion brand and retailer, wanted to transform people’s perspectives. Remind people that beauty still exists all around us, even in the darkest moments, if only we are brave enough to see it. We created a 3-minute film that centred on a real woman with a terminal illness, whom after a lifetime of pain and suffering had chosen medical assistance to end her life. Yet, despite facing what is typically perceived as a “dark” moment, in her final days she chose to focus on the beauty that life offered.

Her voiceover was unscripted, captured from hours of interviews, and her words echo Simons’ own philosophy, which is to have gratitude for life and that focusing on the beauty of every moment, even the difficult ones, can lead to generosity, hope and human connection.

Simons has been a beloved fashion retailer in Quebec, Canada for over 180 years. This past holiday season, the brand wanted to forgo a traditional sales campaign and instead use their voice and the privilege they have to speak and create everyday to provide more meaningful commentary on the world. The result would be the first “art” instalment of a multi-year platform that would transform people’s perspective and facilitate societal change for good.

To reinforce the concept of “All is Beauty” and honour Jennyfer's desire to approach her MAID process with beauty and truth we attempted to render a visually beautiful film that tried to capture her and her friends’ spirit and approach without unduly interfering with what they were experiencing.

Through extensive planning regarding time of day and integrating practical lighting into the art direction we tried to minimize the presence of film equipment to preserve the authenticity of the experience for Jennyfer and her friends while still attempting to elevate the visuals beyond a documentary approach.

The world feels like it is facing insurmountable challenges. In fact, consumer research suggests that people believe that we are in our worst moment in recent human history—a global virus, war, environmental collapse, economic hardship, that are both ugly and destructive. And with highly polarised social factions, coming to an agreement between two groups or people becomes impossible with little empathy, acknowledgement, or understanding from either side. It’s more important than ever that we seek to change our perspective, or at least walk a minute in someone else’ shoes.

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) became a legal medical procedure in Canada in 2016. In 2021 the law was changed to allow those with non-terminal physical conditions to choose an assisted death.