‘Onwards and Sideways’ Review: Laura Linney and Rhys Ifans Are Devastatingly Great in Parkinson’s Disease Tearjerker

Anyone who has ever been afflicted with, or known a loved one afflicted with, a life-altering disease knows the pain of unexpected illnesses. It’s often a loss of hope compounded with severe depression, medication side effects, and a dismissal of one’s humanity. Parkinson’s Disease can be debilitating, and when someone is diagnosed with the disease, it can be shocking, and it can change one’s perspective on life. That is the case for widower Tony (Rhys Ifans) and single mother Emma (Laura Linney) in director John Madden’s newest film about health and companionship, “Onwards and Sideways.” World premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday, the movie explores Tony and Emma’s intertwining lives as they both learn they have Parkinson’s at the same doctor’s office. They confide in each other about their surprise and dismay while waiting in an office filled with pamphlets and little hope. Initially strangers, the two find that knowing they each have “five good years left” can change the course of how they live their lives. Composer Emma joins a ballet group designed to help Parkinson’s patients cope with movement issues, giving her a sense of community with others in the same situation. Tony, an elementary school teacher, chooses to ignore his diagnosis, takes the required medication, but doesn’t listen to his doctors, Emma, or his adult son about exercising or taking care of himself. Fearing he will lose his beloved job, Tony continues with his days acting like everything is normal…that is, until it isn’t. His symptoms progress during the ill-fated five-year countdown, and he leans on Emma for support and community. The two begin a love affair that might have begun with their degenerative disease, but evolves into one where they hold each other up when times get tough. The physical and emotional boundaries of their combined lives get tested with every passing day and year, but their determination to soldier on helps them prevail. “Onwards and Sideways” is surprisingly charming, funny, heartfelt and overall tender despite its challenging premise. The film strikes a unique balance, keeping its lead characters grounded while presenting a relationship between two consenting patients that sparks chemistry and warmth. Featuring a tremendously touching performance by the film’s screenwriter, Paul Mayhew-Archer, who himself currently has Parkinson’s, the movie takes something very personal and creates a safe space for its characters and Mayhew-Archer to say what is really important about the human experience. John Madden, best known for the Academy Award-winning “Shakespeare in Love,” takes a solemn, frustrating diagnosis that could have been a devastating watch and makes it simultaneously funny and life-affirming. Ifans and Linney deliver masterful performances, full of depth, heart and truth in every scene. A disease that takes everything away, including movement, independence, and hope, is viewed not as the villain of the story but as the beginning of a new and unique chapter. “Onwards and Sideways” captures and celebrates the capacity to find joy wherever one can. Tony and Emma’s journey, “Onwards and Sideways,” reminds us that even when life takes away the things we once took for granted, there can still be love, laughter and reasons to keep moving forward.