Onwards and Sideways

Onwards and Sideways follows teacher Tony (Rhys Ifans) and musician Emma (Laura Linney), two strangers whose lives become inextricably intertwined when they receive a Parkinson’s diagnosis on the same morning. Given “five good years” by a rather tactless doctor, the two try to make the most of that time, and in doing so find themselves becoming more involved in each other’s lives.

One trap that media covering concepts of illness and disability can often fall into is that of “inspiration porn” – of distilling the lived experiences of disabled people into convenient, motivational objects for the gratification of an able audience. Writer Paul Mayhew-Archer (who delivers a great performance as a member of a Parkinson’s support group) deftly and intelligently avoids that pitfall by drawing on his lived experience, representing what it is to live with Parkinson’s without shying away from the broad and complicated spectrum of emotions it brings.

This nuance extends to the film’s structure – Onwards and Sideways is at once an examination of Parkinson’s, a love story, a tragedy and a comedy, and every individual piece of the greater puzzle is given the room it needs to swing with its full weight. It’s impressive how many narrative plates the story can keep spinning without it becoming overwhelming, making for a truly satisfying cinematic journey that refuses to tie itself down, just as it refuses to do so to its protagonists.

Importantly, Tony and Emma are allowed to be authentically human, rather than reducing their identities to their illness. Parkinson’s informs many of their decisions (and the film puts a lot of effort into educating its audience about the mental impacts Parkinson’s can have), but the narrative is careful to give them their own rough edges and compelling character flaws.

Ifans and Linney take this excellent script and elevate it with some truly stellar performances. Their constantly shifting chemistry is practically electric, and they hit every emotional beat (and there are a lot of them) perfectly, making the audience fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other.

Onwards and Sideways is an incredible movie, with writing, directing and acting that grab the heartstrings from the get-go and refuse to release them, even after the credits roll. It’s a film about Parkinson’s, yes, but more than that, it’s about the universal human experiences of love, loss and everything in between.

Umar Ali

Onwards and Sideways is released nationwide on 6^th November 2026.

Watch the trailer for Onwards and Sideways here: