Onwards and Sideways premieres at Toronto with UK date set
Two strangers get a Parkinson's diagnosis on the same day at the same clinic in Onwards and Sideways, which arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival still looking for a buyer in North America.
The film had its world premiere in Gala Presentations, the festival's showcase section for high-profile titles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That launch left it in the market for a North American distributor. A UK release is already set for Nov. 6.
Rhys Ifans plays Tony, a widower and primary school teacher. Laura Linney plays Emma, an American composer and musician. The pair do not know each other until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives.
They share a strong sense of humour and a love of dance, a detail noted ahead of the premiere by The Hollywood Reporter. The story follows what happens after their parallel diagnoses. It runs 1 hour 55 minutes.
The film is directed by John Madden, the director of Shakespeare in Love, as noted by The Guardian. It was written by Paul Mayhew-Archer, who has been living with Parkinson's since 2011. The cast also includes Rory Kinnear and Monica Dolan.
Onwards and Sideways is a BBC film, an origin first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Festival premieres often double as sales launches. For a British title with no American distributor attached, Toronto is the shop window.
Early coverage has focused on the central pairing. The Hollywood Reporter's review gave the bottom line "Gracefully acted and directed." The Guardian headlined its review "Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney lift solid Parkinson's drama." Screen Daily described it as a poignant Parkinson's drama in which the two leads form a bittersweet bond.
What makes this stand out is the writing credit. A Parkinson's story written by a writer living with Parkinson's is rare on this scale. That lived experience shapes the premise, built around two people facing the same news on the same day.
